Eddie - An Honorary Trinity Father
Written by Alexandra Oshman, June 2026
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The moment I started working on this project, Eddie’s was a place that stood out to me, not because of its multiple iterations or its nearly 50 years on the strip, but because Eddie Rodriguez made sure it felt like home.
Eddie’s originally opened in 1945 as Eddie’s Icehouse by Edward Anaya Rodriguez Sr. Throughout Eddie Sr.’s 40 years of service to the strip he owned and operated many versions of such as Eddie's Friendly Stop Ice House, Eddie Liquor Store, and Eddie's Shopping Corner. Eddie Sr. retired in 1985 and made way for his son Edward E. Rodriguez, or Eddie Jr., to take over the business, though Eddie Sr. stayed the face of the business.
Throughout the 60s and 70s, Eddie’s was one of the most popular hangouts for Trinity students. Eddie’s was always a good fun time, somewhere Trinity students could dance, play games, watch TV, or just hangout. He would occasionally host parties at the bar, attracting around 400 Trinity students. Eddie Sr. was more than just a fun night out; he developed a special bond with Trinity students, becoming a paternal figure or a father away from home. So much so, that Eddie’s was the only place in town that would cash out-of-state checks for students for free, and he would even picked students from the airport if they could not find a ride back to campus.1 When interviewed for the Trinitonian in 1991, Eddie Sr. was asked why he did so much for Trinity students, he said “I treated them that way because that’s the way I’d want someone to treat my kids1.”
However, like many bars, there is always the worry that alcohol could have a negative effect on a situation. In April of 1984, there was a bar fight involving Trinity students2. In the early morning, two Trinity students were stabbed while another was shot. The students claim the fight started due to female students being harassed by bar patrons not associated with the University, but in the end, no one was arrested. Shortly after this event Eddie Sr. retired and the establishment closed for a period of time.
After Eddie Sr’s retirement, Eddie Jr opened St. Mary’s Pit, a barbecue restaurant from 1986 to 1987. While the establishment did not last long, it welcomed Trinity students with open arms, even encouraging Trinity parties in one of their ads. Trinity students did the same, with the Trinitonian featuring the restaurant in their feature A Guide to Dining on the Strip3.
Eddie Sr could not stay away from the strip for long, reopening the original Eddie’s with his son in 1991. Keeping with the barbecue restaurant concept, they turned the place into a non-alcoholic burger joint. His biggest hope in reopening the business was for Trinity students to fill the place with joy and laughter. With the Trinity tradition back, so was Eddie’s love for the students as he continued to cash their checks as long as they had their student IDs4.
While working on this project, I found there have been many Trinity hangouts over the years, some that still exist, some that are long gone to history, especially on the strip, but Eddie’s the hangout, and Eddie the owner, were something special.
Notes:
VanArsdale, Rachel. “Eddie’s Revives Trinity Tradition.” Trinitonian, 8 Feb. 1991. Trinity University Digitized Publications.
Parmer, Pam. “Three students injured in bar fight.” Trinitonian, 6 April. 1985. Trinity University Digitized Publications.
“A guide to Dining on the Strip.” Trinitonian, 5 March. 1987. Trinity University Digitized Publications.
Eddie’s “A Trinity Tradition Is Back.” Advertisement. Trinitonian, 15 Feb. 1991. Trinity University Digitized Publications.
Alexandra Oshman contributed this blog post through funding support from the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program at Trinity University. Additional support from the Special Collections and Archives, Coates Library, at Trinity University. June 2026.
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