John Garvin, a life-long sports enthusiast, graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1948. In 1968 he opened Garv-Inn, a small neighborhood tavern in Berwyn. Even though it measured only a thousand feet in space, it was a huge presence in the softball community because of the teams John sponsored. Since its creation in 1968, John Garvin and Garv-Inn have sponsored as many as fifteen teams a year for the past thirty-nine years. Garv-Inn has sponsored a variety of men’s and women’s teams, ranging from some that played at the highest levels of competition to those that played “D” ball. During the last ten years, Garv-Inn has sponsored several co-ed men’s and women’s teams as well as such notable teams as Crush, Entourage/Binge, Nemesis, Out There, and Mudville, the 2002 “A” National champions. They also sponsored teams in the North / South Tournament at Janura Park in Berwyn and in the Killer “B” Tournament at Clyde Park in Cicero. John loved the players and the camaraderie they shared. Whether they won or lost, he was always thrilled to watch them play. Unfortunately, John passed away in 1990, but his son, Mike Garvin, and Mike Duplancich, coowners of Garv-Inn, continue his tradition of supporting softball teams.
