Stephen Robert Lacheen

Stephen Robert Lacheen, passed away on May 3, 2024. Husband of Helen Lacheen (nee Hetherington). Father of Cary Lacheen, Amy Baker (Paul Fine), Arthur Lacheen, Christopher Lacheen and Alexandra Lacheen. Brother of Gordon Lacheen. Grandfather of Alianna, Zoe, Julian and Isabella. Relatives and friends are invited to Funeral Services Tuesday 12 Noon precisely at GOLDSTEINS' ROSENBERG'S FUNERAL DIRECTORS, 6410 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19126. A luncheon will follow services at Steve Steins' Famous Deli, 1619 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19115. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Clarke School for Hearing and Speech, 2 Penn Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19144, www.clarkeschools.org. 

Following “Frenchy”
Paean to a Pal 
By Harry Lore 

Following “Frenchy” LaCheen as editor of The Shingle will not be easy, though in one way or another I’ve been following him since we were students in the 194th Class at Central High School (from which he graduated at 15, having been the first among the young scholars to wear the Zoot Suit). Even then, he wanted to write, paint and study law. He still does. 

Since that day in June 1950 when he received his Bachelor’s Degree from Central, Steve LaCheen’s career has been what one might expect from an exceptionally gifted and pleasantly erratic fellow from Passyunk Avenue. He went on to the University of Pennsylvania, where he broke the dress code and earned various academic honors; and he graduated with honors from Miami Law school in 1957, barely past his majority. 

No one I know does better impersonations of the president of India, Humphrey Bogart and sundry others. No one I know remembers as many classic lines from plays and movies and books. 

No one I know has shown more skill and resourcefulness as a criminal trial lawyer in state and federal courts, in Philadelphia and elsewhere. 

To survive as a trial lawyer outside the protective mantle of a large law firm is no mean feat; to thrive out there is a minor miracle. “Frenchy” LaCheen has done that for over a quarter of a Century, earning the respect of judges and adversaries. I venture to say even those few of his clients now in the “joint” would attest he did all for them anyone could. 

LaCheen functions by blending the comic madness of Zorba with the pragmatism and knowledge of Darrow. He has discovered the formula for survival in a world gone crazy with the arms race, and in a society sick with the need to isolate and punish its scapegoats. 

A stint in the solicitor’s office in London in 1974 restored perspective to his life- an experience he turned into an article which, for the first time in the history of The Shingle, filled an entire issue. He has been a steady contributor to these pages ever since. 

In 1978, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Steve a fellowship, and he spent that summer at Yale. 

Two years ago, he married the fair Helen, and now at the age of 48 he is a father again. His daughters from his first marriage, Cary and Amy. At home, Art, 8; Chris, 7; and the baby, Alexandra (The Great). 

As editor of The Shingle, Steve has shown a keen appreciation of the literary efforts of his associates on the Editorial Board, and has always been ready with constructive suggestions. The business of the board, under his guidance, was handled with dispatch – and sometimes with contempt when crap vied with quality for space in the magazine. 

I know that Steve LaCheen will keep on writing for the edification and amusement of us all. His damn ego, which has served him so well for nearly half a century, will probably see to that. And if not, his colleagues who follow him on The Shingle surely will. 

To borrow a parting phrase from F.W. Maitland (found in his letter of November 26, 1893 to the Harvard Historian Charles Gross): “I hope that you flourish.” 

- Harry Lore, circa 1983 

And flourish he did.