My friends on cover of local magazine

Congratulations to my neighbors and friends Scott & Joel for making the cover and feature story in the June issue of Out & About Illinois. They are my neighbors at work, since our shop is located in a mostly residential area. Scott and Joel are two of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Like so many others, I am very proud of them for all of their accomplishments.


In April Scott become the first openly gay elected offical in Jacksonville. He now serves as Ward 1 Alderman. Scott was the only political candidate in Illinois to receive a national endorsement from the Victory Fund, a national political action committee dedicated to electing openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people to public office. Congratulations, Scott!


Both Scott and Joel are well respected in Jacksonville, and each has an abundance of accomplishments and contributions to the area. All of that and more are mentioned in Dave Barker's feature article.


Scott and Joel will celebrate four years together on July 1, 2009. I was happy to receive a wedding announcement yesterday; they are heading to Iowa to be officially married on their anniversary. A wedding celebration will later be held at Congregational Church of Christ in Jacksonville, where they are both members and Joel is the Director of Music and a musician.


The free magazine is now available all over central Illinois. At this link you will find a list of pick up locations, including four places in Jacksonville. Be sure and explore the entire page. It is full of links, including a free PDF version of this issue and previous issues.

A special thanks goes out to Dave Barker, editor and publisher of Out & About Illinois for putting Jacksonville on the map cover! Thank you, Dave! I know that I speak for many, when I say we appreciate all you do for the LGBT community.

Lincoln Seen and Heard, Part 2

Ron, who is famous for taking bad blurry pictures took this one of me (Gee, thanks Ron), after I got my program signed by scholar and author Harold Holzer (standing behind me up on stage). Actor Richard Dreyfuss is standing next to him.

"Lincoln Seen and Heard" was co-hosted by Illinois College and the Illinois State Historical Society. The event was part of the annual ISHS annual Symposium, this year titled "Abraham Lincoln in Ante-Bellum Illinois: 1830-1861."

The presentation was preceded by a musical program featuring the Illinois College and MacMurray College (also located in Jacksonville) concert choirs, IC Wind Ensemble and local soloists Joel Tinsley and Addie Gramelspacher.

Harold Holzer, shown above, recognized as one of the nation's pre-eminent Lincoln historians received an honorary doctorate from Illinois College, when he delivered the commencement address to the class of 2007.

Mr. Holzer is a senior vice president for external affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and serves as co-chairman of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He is also the author, co-author or editor of 33 books on Lincoln and the Civil War era. Among his award-winning works are "The Lincoln Image," "The Lincoln-Douglas Debates," and with Gov. Mario Coumo, "Lincoln on Democracy," which has been published in four languages.

Mr Holzer and Mr. Dreyfuss are longtime friends. Following the dramatic performance, Mr. Dreyfuss received an honorary doctor of fine arts degree.

Mr. Dreyfuss is considered one of the leading actors of American cinema. Three of his films are included in the American Film Institutes list of the 100 greatest films. At age 29, Mr. Dreyfuss won the Oscar for best actor in "The Goodbye Girl." Twenty nine years later, his role as the teacher in "Mr. Holland's Opus" received Academy Award and Golden Globe. nomination for best actor.

The event featured more than 70 scholars from across the state and nation who shared their research and knowledge on those historic times with such general topics as abolitionism and the Underground Railroad, along with Lincoln's law practice and political career in Illinois, and his many local connections to Jacksonville and Illinois College.

Some excerpts from Greg Olson's article in the Journal-Courier