Tonight, we have a very, very special guest. First, let me introduce the co-producer and the host of this, Doug O'Keefe, a leather activist, educator, IML contestant, Wrangler, and former IML contestant. He was Mr. Selvock Sheldon Leather or... Selvock Sheldon Chicago Leatherman. He will be conducting the interview with the most amazing and wonderful Lori Cannon. I first met Lori in 1987, I believe, or 88, as we were both on the steering committee for the first traveling display of the AIDS Project Memorial Quilt. And with Lori through CFAR, ACT UP, Hope and Hand, vital bridges, and all she ever wanted to do was feed people. And feed people in person she has, and hearts, soul, mind, and body. And she is escorted by Art Johnson, Johnston, co-owner of Side Tracks, the wonderful bar, which we encourage you to do. Thank you all for being here. Enjoy. Throwing opportunity at the end for questions. Thank you. And also... We'll watch it. Okay, the drawer of questions for Lori Cannon, our special guest. So Lori, where were you born? In Chicago, 1951. Whereabouts in Chicago? Albany Park. Okay. Albany Park. And into Rogers Park later. You told me in our previous research that your father was a very accomplished man. Why would he change your family name from Collin to Cannon? Yeah, when the veterans were coming back home after World War II, there was in a Marine Corps in the South Pacific. We got a family to support, and we started selling insurance. And the name Lee Collin was responsible for a lot of anti-Semitism that came this way, which interfered with his success. Because he was a born salesman. And he picked a name that sounded kind of nondescript. And so Lee Collin became Lee Cannon. Things took off. Light insurance. He was with a liquor distributor for a long time and made all kinds of records. It was just something real appealing about his style. And he hit the road. He always had districts around the country with insurance. Eventually he wound up in television sales. Tell us a bit about that. That was, I don't know if you recall in the old days, at four o'clock there might have been a movie on or a 10-30 movie. And he had a package of films that were given to him to sell to a region. And he was just very popular. People would buy these films. On one trip to the West Coast he met Hank Saperstein who ran the UPA Studios. Known for animation.  And they offered to have a position to be a representative out there. And he did. I think he was pretty happy out in Burbank and traveling. He was given to the world. Now he was just kind of given to travel. Would you talk a little louder? Oh sure. Is this thing working? No. Is the mic working? I don't think your mics are hot at all. All right. Should I not switch? No you turn. Maybe we don't if we turn the volume. Okay. A little on off switch there. That's it. Okay. Sorry about that. I too. Yeah. I'm going to slow down the stage. Okay. Okay. Sorry about that. You know I'm lucky to be able to turn the lights on when I walk in Burbank. We've had classes. I'd like to visit your father's World War II issues a little bit. He had a very unique experience in World War II. Tell us about the people you met and the influence that they had on him. Now it's kind of common knowledge with the attention given to the novel home markers. But in the South Pacific, with Deb and the Fourth Marine Division, with his colonel, one of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Carl McCarthy, who was kind of an insider with Richie Davis' father, kind of revolutionized the fire department with the ambulance services, emergency technicians. But during the Ewo Jima campaign and the various South Pacific campaigns, there were a group of unsung heroes, at least if we can, of Native Americans here to for the Japanese were able to break every single code that the Americans used as part of their intelligence. The one code that couldn't break was the novel whole language. It's not a written language. It's a series of grunts and grones that has passed down generation to generation. And Deb never forgot the heroism of his fellow Marines. And these Native Americans at the end of the war sent back to their reservations and told, don't speak of what you've done. We'll be requiring your services again. However, by the time of the Korean conflict, surveillance is so advanced, their services were no longer needed and they just went about their lives, their lives as ranchers and silversmiths and medicine men. And so after the war, the Fourth Marine Division would have annual conventions. The different officers would honor a colonel, a major deserving, different cities. In the year of 1969, my high school graduation in the summer, I went to Woodstock. Lee Cannon decided he was going to honor these unsung heroes and he had to figure out a way to find them. He had leaflets dropped over trading posts. Fellows were looking for you in the bank. The grones are banging him. Sergeant Leo Cohen is looking to please contact me and with his friends on its own, the philanthropist, and a lot of businessmen in Chicago, they found a way. I was at home and hello. It says, Albert the Gay. And I was a non-local talker and I'm looking for Sergeant Lee Cannon. And I thought, hey, another phone call. They made lists of their families, their children were flown in. Just this week I reconnected with Sonny Gorman, the daughter of the late Carl Gorman and father of internationally renowned Navajo artist who also passed away during an R.C. Gorman. And we were reminiscing. She goes, boy, I never forgot my trip to Chicago. I gave her my bedroom and for her it was a thrill. The canopy bed and she says, your family was so generous and you did give me an album. Such a wonderful time for me. And it was a big deal in the city. They would come in and, you know, Navajo was no longer at that point. You don't have bank accounts. Their wealth is their generational collection of turquoise jewelry that's been handed down from generation to generation. And I looked at this beautiful dark skin, the turquoise rings, the contral belts. It was magnificent. And to Dad's credit, he honored these men, their families, their kids were so proud. They didn't know what their dad did to the lord. Beyond that, my dad wanted to make sure they got a presidential citation, which they did. In 1971, Dad and I went to L.A. for the Tournament of Roses Parade. It was the first year the Navajo co-torpers when there was a cleaning number over the years. They dwindled. There aren't that many left. And that was the year of the earthquake. We had seen BB King at the Whiskey to Gogo that night because I knew several members of the band. And that was the morning of the earthquake. And my dad said, get dressed. We're out of here. Stay calm. I said, I am calm. He said, I'm telling you, stay calm. I thought, what makes you think I'm not calm? Well, you're trying to pull a turtleneck over those beer can size rollers and get them over. So he was able to see the end result of just honoring patriotic Americans who, as we all know, the history of the United States with the Native Americans is not a good one. Every tree was ignored. And out of that, the tribal chair of the Navajo Nation offered the angle we can watch out for. He said, we're calling you, we can do because you made things happen. He studied. He's somewhat strayed from his Judea background to honor the spiritual aspect of the culture. It took him about five years as an angle away man to be accepted. But with his connections and friends, he was able to simply Navajo acquire to these festivals in Europe. He kind of revolutionized some of the government's policy. And I think he felt so proud to be part of it. And Navajo, the phrase, Navajo Kotar is somewhat recognizable. There were books, there were movies. And he just felt he was doing the right thing. That had a very big effect on your dad. And he was living out west with the Native American people for a while.  How did you do that? Salt my eternity. Miss Ganny, how do you advise me to? I know that you have immunity for anything you say tonight, right? I don't know if you remember the years of the CBs. Time four. My handle, I was the belly dancer. And I would take Dan's 61 continental and drive cross country and, you know, long nights, lonely nights. Those Union 76 truckstaffs were available. And those truckers on the road for, you know, endless days and weeks, they were going to be my grateful. And I was only too happy to do my part. I had three in the morning around the CB and I talked little scenarios.  You'll probably see a Y61 continent. Yeah. A senator. Which senator? Well, you know, I don't know. Except that night, I don't exactly know what led up to it, but I do remember pulling out a gun and shooting at the stop lights in Tulsa. Sheriff's car comes up and he said, I think I can get a few cocktails. I'm turning. I don't know what's legal in Tulsa. Sorry about that. This probably shouldn't be a smart answer, but the Union 76 truckstaffs were really my favorite as they were. But did the car have legal plates? Oh, yeah. I started with my affection for travel and he had a collection of out-of-state plates that every month would go out in another car. And on a computer, we were able to generate the correct color and the numbers for the operation date. Little game. I don't do that anymore. What is your family's connection to chess records? Leonard Chess is my mother's cousin. And that was kind of fun. Growing up, I didn't know that friends of the family was what musicians were or big names. Chuck Berry comes to your grade school to walk you home. You figure, oh, your uncle Chuck is here. Muddy Waters. They all were always around. Leonard and his wife, Rivetta, who was part of the Sloan family, which is another part of our family, everyone was always around. And so the music, the history, the uncle Leonard's son Marshall was the manager of the Rolling Stones and Rivetta paid for his airplane addiction. So, I mean, there was just things that were happening and, you know, I kind of paid attention. I was at the opening of the Blues Fest last night, kind of caught up with some of the entertainers who were reminiscing, because I was a booking agent in the 70s. And the 80s and all my events always worked. I lived in Europe. Little Milton still owes me $2,300. I've come to just accept I'm not going to get it. What's his debt? Tell us a little bit more about that. How did you book these bands? What did that entail? Well, as their booking agent, I would know managers of clubs. I'd know what festivals were going on. I did know from Chicago there were all the clubs on hold, Paul stood on the north side, but, you know, I wanted to take them to different areas. West Coast, very popular Europe. You know, there was this kind of like fascination. And it was all about the music. The music was wonderful. And, you know, there were a lot of girls from the north side that would come to the south side of the clubs, usually husband hunting. I think something came from the music, and they came to see Lori. It was just Lori, you know. And because of some connections, maybe I could help them support their families. And everybody worked. We had a good time. I didn't have too many good experiences. But, you know, for me, the party ended when my friends started out. And it was just hard to juggle all that because when a baby is old, and some people just remember a beautiful hand, dyed in my arms, I was forever transformed. I knew I'd never be the same. I just said, well, I've got to do something. And my mentor is here, too, for me. I've been around quite a few people in the world. Like Tom Donkowski and R.J. and Joanne Beattie. Here at Chai Chester and Dino Grant. It kind of showed me the way. And as my friend, John Henry, wrote a column about the old Indian and the volunteers, he said, well, what she does isn't complicated and it isn't difficult. It's just nice. It's just doing something nice. And so fortunately for me, and as I mentioned to Arthur, just before we came up, I kind of feel like I'm misrepresenting up here to be just me with you because if I'm here, I'm only here because of the people who preceded me, the volunteers who inspire me and keep me going every day. You know, I'm almost 60 and to get up every day and keep going seven days a week, 16-hour days, finds people in the world and Joanne became volunteers who have made a commitment to take one burden away from the day-to-day life of low-income people who are living with AIDS. So with that team, for me, it's always been a team. The Victor Salvos people, I might see the big picture of the actual minutiae of making things work. I'm not very good at that. You know, I've come up with a few good ideas and, you know, one night, taking Cleen Jones home, he had come to a book signing with John Henry at Unbridge Books that was in 97, a few months before. He died a wonderful book of a compilation of articles he wrote praising the neighborhood of Lakeview and it was called The New Town Ecology. And Cleen was looking at the stars in the sky. He was exhilarated to have a chat with John Henry, that was him. He would make better tales out of that, but he enjoyed the conversation with this and it was something that he said, you know what, Larry? In life, you're lucky if you have one good idea. He said, I had one good idea and that was the goal.  I think people in this room and people I've been lucky enough to know they've been a couple of good ideas and fortunately for me, they included me and they let me work with them. So I consider myself fortunate. You inspire us, Lord. I'd like to back up a little bit, though, because you've had some interesting jobs I'd like to talk about. For example, you were the major in a big unicorn on the Midnight Show. That's a little bit about that. And I would recommend that job for any college student. It was Midnight until 6 a.m. I kind of had a gift to get with the patients. I kept complaining why didn't they offer can and towels?  Because I did my homework, maybe I took a nap. I walked out, yeah, I was there. It was not the current owners. It wasn't the Steamworks crowd. It was the Unicorn crowd. And I think I did a good job. Tell us about your time as a preschool teacher of all things. We're our teacher accountants from the reservation. Lee Cannon was packing up because the tribal head of the Navajo Nation had been indicted. His son had turned the father in. There was a land scheme going on with the minerals and the mountains. And now the FBI and everybody was going to jail. Lee Cannon saw that hand writing on the wall. So the pottery, everything was being loaded up. And he was off to Flagstaff to the White Mountain Paction Tribe. They were very eager to take that from work for them. And I came home, and I think that I didn't work. So I had my CBL, school bus driver, and over a period of time with the various rentals, I came to no certain schools. And Rabbi had spoke to a grant of free school and asked if I would take a class. Actually, I was teaching. He has a kindergarten class. After teaching kindergarten, I chose to teach preschool. I got complete autonomy. I worked for this lesbian in Roger's Park. She gave me a complete grant of classrooms. And it was part of a lot of schools. And it was great.  Ironically, a cartoonist, isn't it? Yes. Consider it. And he would come in and do chalk talks with the kids. And the whole school would be mesmerized. And he was kind of a, I don't know, day-to-day running character. So the whole school found him so compelling. And the chalk talks, art, you know, the finger painting and the pudding. It was great. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the kids. I enjoyed the parents. I'll never forget that one father in Colombia. I think the kids, I think the kids enjoyed their time. I did. I then went back to driving for Latin school, the Harvard School, and I had it. And in the evenings, I drove the coach bus for the road shows that came to Eric Brown. Back in the 80s, shows would come to town like Sugar Babies and Sort of the Greed. It was a full day. It was a full day. And then field trips. You know, I would get a whole, the marching band from Northwestern is practicing at Doug Stadium. They need another bus. There were nine buses all the time. I said, I'm on my way. Invariably, I would get the two bus stations. I drove the instrument while we were taking them to their dorms, and there was a winding stairwell. And every week, it was the same thing. I had to duck because I could have been decapitated. I had the two. Many of them were members. They hired me for field trips to Lake Geneva.  They had a good time. And one night, the show approached me. He said, all right, lady, I'm not going to do an inspection on your bus because I had a keg, of course, which was illegal. No, I'm just going to say this plain and simple.  I said, I get the message. So we get back to the city. But I'm at CDL getting real handy. When I was studying to get it, Victor Zalho was working behind the scenes and I had a big celebration for me. And he surprised me. You know, the birthday party. He did just recently. I said, I'm too embarrassed to know a full-show woman like him who doesn't even pay attention. Also, by way of Tom Dapkowski at Chicago House, I would always join the school bus services for the field trips we'd planned to take the boys to the zoo, to the conservatory. I was so inspired by Tom's promise to Patrick on his deathbed that he had to do something for the AIDS community. I just never forgot how we created this bold and exciting housing program called Chicago House. That was 1985. And what makes that unique to me and memorable is that was two years before the historic March on Washington when every other program got off the ground. Everybody came home from Washington wanting to get involved and interviewed to do the death. But time took two years earlier before the community had organized or was cohesive. It was a struggle, you know. And I know those board meetings were tempestuous because I would see our lead up all the way after lunch. She needed to be resuscitated. She was on in. He had to pick her up off the floor. It wasn't hers because, of course, I was there always for the last hamburger.  She saw the shouting that she says, but I love Tom, you know.  The gay community starts off with growing, starts off with insults.  Everybody's come together again. And that's what happened at the airport. And they set a standard. So I said, well, I'm going to bring in your stylist. People can get their haircut. Let's have a pause for some field trips because, you know, people didn't last long. They got a house. They were a resident. It was something lovely and charming and a little trip. That was doing the right thing.  Who would tell us about that? Without me? That young man, what it would be, R. G. Melman, who is the son of the restaurateur, R. G. Melman. I had an interesting collection of students there. In Latin and Parker. I had kids. I had all the baby kids, Larry's kids. It's really interesting. They negotiated. They said, how can we get our children to have the very last part of the route? Even though they lived the furthest in the Gold Coast. I said, well, what do you propose? Well, at the end of the year, maybe a thousand bucks. I said, I guess I'll see it five to nine. Well, that's it. Well, we did. We still made it to school on time. Every Thursday, the papers would come out. And on my way to Achi-Emmet, I'd stop by and see feathers. And eyes. And not bodies. All Dean and Broad. No, Wellington and Broadway. By Richard Cook's Crazy Marys. What was the name? Bulldog Row. I pulled the bus over. I couldn't leave the students unattended, so they'd come in with me. Oh, that tour, everything's good. And I'd pick up Acha-Cargo. It was key life. Maybe it was maybe city and outlines. And I'd go make the drop. I'd usually spend the rest of the day at the age unit at the sonic. Because I had a midday, and I knew every patient out there. I wanted to be there for the doctors making their rounds. So at the end of the day, when their partners were coming from work, I could fill them in. Well, this is what I've heard. This is what I know. So, I see Arthur reclining on the seat of the bus with his legs crossed. And he must have been reading the personal eds. And back then, unlike now, there were a lot of personal eds. There was not the internet. And I think he picked up some phraseology days. I spit out at the dinner table. I spit out at the dinner table. I spit out at the dinner table. I spit out at the dinner table. And I checked the table. I checked the table. And Mrs. Mullens said something like, oh, Archie was asking about some I've not got our publication. I said, oh, I got it. I said, oh, I got it. I said, oh, I got it. She didn't say a whole lot, but on the bus they said, aren't you going to my friend too? Well, I read an ad about fisting and I just couldn't understand what it was. I'm full of choice. Maybe he must have grabbed his own car because I grabbed mine and I'm going to just keep it on the bus. I think he picked one out. He was a good student, he was curious, so he was inquiring. And now, go down to about 51, he's got a restaurant. I think about the kids on the bus.  What's gay culture initially introduced to me?  While there's the hairdresser, or a theater decorator, my relatives, schoolmates, you know what? Rick's Walker wants to ask you that question, the journalist. There had been an act up demonstration, Larry Kramer and Frank Spitz, and they come in from New York shortly after the silence equals death, but we get premiered in Chicago. It was 86, 87. I went to school. I was in between routes. And I said, any orthodox could use a web.  And I thought, that's a my question. How do you answer something orthodox? How do you explain you know who you know? I don't know. It wasn't gay people. It's people in my life. It's the play of life, and the reverence, the respect that I have for the community. And I guess growing up, I was just taken with the sheer and raw beauty of gay men. I just, I found it so superior. And I found it mesmerizing. And when the play hit, it showed me this is the only group that could have survived. And the other group would have completely collapsed. And I just thought, I thought my notion of a superior gene, I think, was correct. I think it was accurate. And I still think that. I'm told you're an anarchist at heart. How is that? Understatement? I don't know. I guess from Lee and Bill McCann and raising their children to do the right thing and speak their mind. They're dead, being so articulate. He didn't. You know, it's funny. Several years ago, Open Hand had one of these quack facilitators come in. It bugged me that they paid this fraud when we were having money troubles. And I think it was to create a cohesive team, which obviously was absurd and never happened.  Three words to describe yourself, and they would analyze it. Well, let me just be honest. I wrote bombastic and irritating. I think just because I was raised that way, when you see so many wrong things, you know, would be raised in a Jewish home. I never knew about anti-Semitism until college. Because of the world I lived in, it was foreign to me. I couldn't even articulate the hatefulness of it. And I'm homophobia, AIDS-phobia, and racism. I went to the East Garfield when Dr. Kingwood came to town. The abhorrent behavior that I was watching on the news, I just couldn't accept it. Because I wasn't around it growing up. I didn't feel that way. I didn't think that way. My hatred did not inspire me to become hateful, but to just be resolved to continue doing the right thing. Well, tell us a bit about your fascination with Greek culture. Most of the Mubarak hawa and the Potetikas see the Mystica Aspera. I said it off, that's it.  It might be a mistake. It might be a mistake. I tried to use A to see who played. How did that come about? I think it was in 72. I know the Watergate hearings were going on. I went to see the exorcist at the midnight show. At the Portage Theater, I came out at 3 in the morning, assembled a chicken and jar. And I found myself at a wonderful Greek nightclub, owned by Simon, who was kind of a small cog in the Greek office in Chicago, and a friend of my dad's. And I went and I befriended the belly dancers so many. It was an icon. And I don't know, the whole culture seemed to get me through the exorcist. And then I went back the next weekend and I couldn't understand what people were saying. So I decided to take a course at the University of Chicago Personal Enrichment in Greek language, dancing, writing, and being a filmmaker, which I was when I graduated college, I was able to go to the Thessalonica Film Festival. And I found it fascinating. While at the University of Chicago, I met Roger Ebert, took classes with him, and I became his sub-projectionist. Which was an honor. However, the course he teaches, independent of individual directors, is how to watch a film, frame by frame, on a projector. Some of the Bertman films, and man, it was a challenge. But I finally got it. I finally got it. Those classes were magnificent. So I was fortunate. Do you have any opportunities to speak in Greek with other people? When a client, I don't have any Greek lines that I would have, I do occasionally. But, in going to some of these Greek antelopes back then, the dialects, many are... I remember, please. He's from a village, and so some of the... I mean, mine was educated, professor beneath the Ascarii, as a soloist. I didn't know slang. But, anyways, we weren't communicating, and what I was speaking was foreign to them. I was trying to follow, and then I figured, let's dance!  No. I didn't light up the Saganaki, between all this aqueduct and my nails, and it failed. So I had to be very careful. That was interesting. And then I was black. You know what I mean? What I revisited the south side, with the blues bands. And then I just heard all these cultures, so generous, and you think it's a big world. But you know what? It's smaller than you think. I believe that. And I encourage people to go and take a foreign language, or a cooking class or a different culture, or a dance class. It's liberating. What do I seem to provide for others? Mostly the Subaru that Joanne gave me. And she won a part of the contest. She gave...anyway. Well, you know, so many giants and so many selfless, humble heroes It was more than an inspiration, you know? It just removed the commitment to do the right thing, to do it in the background. With that hair? It's not so big anymore. This is my Rihanna and Rose and Paula. This is my new look. The pantry today, it wasn't Chicago Cares, it was all Saturdays, but this was their big city serve event. So we had a group of young professionals who are coming to the open hand group as young fundraisers. And I came to meet them and they were running the network amongst their young professional group. And I said, well, I think if you're going to get involved with the program, or if you'd like to come and serve, to really be able to sell the idea. So for the last couple of months, they've been coming in and they're interesting. They're lawyers, they're different professions, young and I don't know what they know really about AIDS. I don't even know what they know about people that are less fortunate. But when they walk into it, they're willing to do grunt work. They are inspired by the veteran volunteers who preceded them in training and I brought something to their attention as they were leaving today. I said, I want to go through your time. I know you're very busy. There's any number of things you can do on a Saturday. But I'd like you to reflect on something. And you were really very busy today. Right now, the clients you served are putting their goods up in the cupboard. They're sitting down to make lunch because of your kindness and your time. They touched a lot of lives today. Because of your kindness and generosity. They're grateful. You've got the orders right. You spoke to them. Can I offer you a special? I always see it. You're birthday appellate. I'm going to get you a treat. You said you didn't think about it. They said, you know, we fill the orders. I said, never. Take it for me. So, I think I think, you know, I think we just have an obligation to see this through. You know, we're all raised to help you take care of the sick. You honored your commitment. You honored your friendship. I hope the ten volunteers have not missed a beat. Not in 23 years. Not to mention the donors, the merchants, and the community. I don't want time to ask you anything. I've done it now. I don't want to see any social major to threaten the dead of a thunderbolt. Because we all made a commitment. It's funny. He always wanted to do a meal to the creeper out with me. And every time we tried something, cut him down. He was in the hospital. Same thing with his partner. He's got a person. Every time we would try the same thing with Jamie's partner. Billy Alvies. He would follow down the street and sharp us on his roller skates. And when can I do the meals with you? We'd try. And every time we'd make a take, it didn't work. So you know what? I'm delivering those meals to the guys.  We understand Cytrec says you're in trouble, aren't you? I said, yeah, kind of. Well, your party is coming up on the anniversary party. Is it 28 years after that? It is. 28 years is kind of a milestone. When you think about a bar business in these tough times and so this is our 16th year so we're 16 collecting for our low income clients and Cytrec and our firm that he said well, what can we do to start our shelves? Because we usually collect personal care items, which are essential. But this time we're going to have to basics of canned goods, and the few pennies I do will go up into the high price items and you know what those items are from your own time your clients that needs them. And so Cytrec, like in so many areas, is kicking off what's now going on again from Cytrec in Chicago picked up on it and donated ad space. Now ad space is golden to our magazine and they donated that page yet. The second one just came out and they're going to do all five groups of trim. We're asking people to and it's been a tremendous response. So Cytrec has never forgotten our mission. They make it an effortless for us and we're looking forward this Wednesday honoring their customers who are so generous and mobile. I remember that going right back to the community thinking you got nothing else to give maybe there's a buy one get one get a suit. Is that this Wednesday? This Wednesday the 16th. Cytrec will have its anniversary party. It's a big bash. They say thank you to their customers. The staffs are generous. We're out on the street like everyone gypsies. I'll tell you something about that night whether it be the anniversary party in June or the Christmas party in December. Cytrec again. They started the adoptive grant program a meal delivery in 1988 and ours said how many people Thursday you will have two of our employees in the bar band and a join band. We'll keep her in the bartender and that's how it works and then from their other businesses we can adopt her out on the bridge and the closet and it was the community again looking out for its own family values family values and there's something about brick and brick that's something that we'll get bound to again something intimate about delivering a meal having somebody in their underpants open the door because they've just been puking all day and the only human they've seen is you from the last 24 hours and the last volunteer left and so it's important. Well I read something very interesting in the book report from the Holocaust by Larry Kramer. He states that AIDS didn't just happen it was allowed to happen and in a previous interview you've stated that people were allowed to die because the government didn't care.  How can you ever get past that? You lost 12 years and look what happened it got so out of control the mutation can never make that up they knew they were quibbling between who's going to get the patent rights with the HIV test people would die who's going to take credit for treatment and everyone in this room they know the experience our life in the 80s was that of we became living people death was our constant companion we celebrated birthdays in the age units like to Oscar parries in the age units we continued I mean the creative people were still doing symphonies, bellies, eating else while they were dying it was unbelievable what was our social life oh yeah maybe 16 hours a week everybody knew where I sat if they were looking for me I knew where John Henry sat we did it I said I said daddy's funeral I'll have Jim Dorsey funeral well daddy somehow and in no way is this disrespectful amidst the tragedy the dying and the suffering we still had fun but often we cried yeah I mean I go down to the original Gold Coast on Clark Street movie night movie night I always get my man's shot it's ready for me see didn't have to worry a lot I just was always there and I don't feel the time about this guy that you were worried and oh boy things aren't looking good you know work and different things that hold culture it's different now it's a new day it doesn't mean people still don't need services attention support especially the old times they're waiting for that other shooter drop you've been on toxic mints for 27 years you know what your body is going to reject and nobody in the old days live long enough for the great thrill and joy of dementia now you know there's others talking or our clients at the pantry are seniors you're getting your progress like a senior citizen tell us a little bit about the onset of the AIDS crisis here in Chicago how were you aware of it what did you see as an initial intrusion what I saw was a group of us paying attention to the reports coming out of San Francisco and New York the two epicenters we were supremely confident oh that never happened that's the west coast that's the east coast boy that we run I called every day physician I knew and I asked for time for lectures and teachings to assemble us in their homes to tell us the latest information to try and protect our friends to try and get word out because nobody else was everything was being dismissed observations by the professionals in the Midwest noticing the patterns the type of pneumonia that was so rare they were putting in the dots in death years death years so Larry says people were allowed to die that's different than saying people die oh isn't that a shame being allowed to die that's a lower class yes that's a lower class and look at the again maybe that superior gene was in the Jews during the 40s in Nazi Germany those who survived they required that kind of so now when I was in the room at the gay and lesbian center in New York the night Larry spoke and his opening line was a bunch of there's a man standing in a room full of guys and they all looked the same they had their Doc Martins they had their revised they had their motorcycle jacket they looked good and he looked he didn't speak for the first 45 seconds and I was leaning against a pole no one would give me this they were just standing in my way because they were going to announce a new organization and here's Larry they do a play right there they kind of do the rabble and after 45 seconds of surveying his empire he said one year from now a third of the people in this room will be dead that's his opening line and he was right I was with Peter Staley and Mark and I called Harrington on the tag group what will be called the treatment the action group and he wanted people to organize and do the right action now his biggest health problem wasn't necessarily HIV he remained asymmetric for a bit his big problem was hepatitis B of course liver disease was his tyrant which got him to his liver transplant first ever HIV patient and yes he did the surgery and then he fought you at the National Institute of Health really? yeah he said I hope you understand that I'm putting publicly I still got to go after you because you're the enemy because I understand Larry that's okay but I want to do your transplant wow but you know New York was ready to heed the call because they were fighting for their lives and when you're fighting for your life you are motivated to to write the action getting arrested and Larry was a great band leader for his detractors well you know and he has been his style was not comfortable for everyone just like in Chicago Danny's social minor style wasn't comfortable but you know after his death some of Danny's detractors came to appreciate his efforts as Danny was all the way out there and in fact he was all the way out there on a ledge that's how he got let's talk a little bit about Danny's social minor who was he? how did you meet him? who was he? well who is that man who's always angry at me? and why is he only at me? Danny was in the background the year do you remember well I don't think people do remember every Memorial Day there was a candlelight vigil where the winner and the entire post committee of IML would kick off a candlelight march from a church in Lincoln Park at the former site of Howard Brown Memorial Clinic and that was at George Street which is an Archive of State and Hospital this memorial service at the church was a common gathering place to come and breathe fabric panels were taken out each year people would include the names of people they lost and there was always a beautiful choir it was kind of a gathering place people who hadn't seen each other you pay your respects and then the color guard would be Mr. Current IML of the night before and committee and first runner up and second runner up and we would hold our candles and march to plant trees in the park of Howard Brown this year I'm marching with my dear friend Jeff Fields and we're walking and as we get to the park and I'm going to say here's my little buddy I hear he's been sick and I'm looking I guess it was Danny he said I'm going to go talk with this guy and I'll be be like the buffet big purse there I had been walking and it was time for a bash and over here in the background Danny said who's she that's my buddy you mean yourself big man turn buddy man you're a support person someone who's dying now Howard Brown had a program and we had buddies he said no no no it's my girlfriend that's Lori I think he said hello seemed like a nice guy pretty much was there Jeff was concerned to see if his little friend was in the hospital he was kind of sick very next day I'm coming out of the 7-Eleven at Roscoe's and also I see a guy with a sock on his arm and I'm going to call him he's coming out of Roscoe's and he's going against the traffic in flip flops and he's walking out of his shoes and I'm going what's going on what is this he's calling to me I remember we met last night oh yeah hey Danny right I had just remembered about the guy who was sick Danny never mentioned anything now it's time for Chicago House to have their summer fundraiser at Scusey and a afternoon of cabaret my friend Jeff deals was an awfulist one of many on the bill that day and Danny used to be a waiter at Scusey so I said we should go we should go and listen to Jeff and it was wonderful and I I kind of had HIV in the conversation not specifically about Danny but we were talking about some of his staff here and some of them they said and I looked at him and I said oh let's be honest and he calls it really I mean that's kind of my experience and he kind of looked at me and said maybe I'll discuss my situation and he did we went fast forward a couple of months now that we're inseparable we just couldn't get enough of each other I guess we were open and ready to have a friendship in our lives I'm visiting him at Rush Hospital and it's like he's a lot of alcohol we'll watch a movie I don't know and a resident comes and I'm well I'll teach you how to chair and I said well why don't I excuse myself and leave you some patience talking to Danny and give you some privacy Danny said come please he said that's not right he says well that's just so too many I'm not afraid to have something that makes test results come back and be at ease well I said both of them and I go again you got it I beg your pardon I said yeah that works for you Danny did you get that again I was like I guess you did now you know and from there he moved out the doctor he was not good black the other night was sonic and he channeled a lot of his rage from an awful childhood to a cause and a mission and he was an explosive person having the skills of art and it's cartooning you know he was able to put a face on the epidemic he was able to create merchandise and cartoons and buttons and t-shirts that just spit it out also at street fair always Danny and I look at it George the bird who currently resides in George they they provide a beautiful beautiful home for him and George lets them stay there they've created an habitat at the bar when they travel so George is comfortable George is only 34 35 and will probably live between 80s but having George on his perch this beautiful green wing macaw under an umbrella because it was always hot ice water, grapes Danny could make a few pennies drawing characters and oh little girl sit down and I can do you like a damsel in distress you can and then you would introduce this bird that shows us and the mother maybe put a grape in his mouth the kids were one over here the parents were petrified but you know he was able to draw a pile to see it petitions that we sent to Springfield and through AIDS funding AIDS awareness to Governor Townsend and any good team any good team channel his energy into the act of forcefully Danny well at Chicago group was Chicago for AIDS rights with Blake Ferdy again Erin Patten and Paul Arons Danny came to a vehicle display of 1988 in Washington one of them Danny did not go to the one in 87 he took a trip to Europe where he went skydiving in Spain and I had pictures and he just loved it but the summer of 1988 which was a hot one you know we hosted the quilt at the Old Navy Pier with the lawn sheds that was historic it was the summer people gathered at 822 to come up with a program called Open Hand Chicago the same group that hosted the quilt the Japanese for the Open Hand group and the display of 88 promised act of New York would be hosting with the local chapters around the country huge demonstrations just shut down the FDA and Rockwell now this was a huge success at the last thing and Danny said you know what I'm going to go to the quilt display back then all the travel agencies saw for scholarships for PWAs I worked out a lot of fundraisers so if PWAs were able to go to see the quilt work the quilts so the next one he had Danny came to Washington and kind of butted heads with cleave he was given the assignment to run the cherry figure up and down for international journals to make aerial photographs of the historic display of the world the walkways we were on the ellipse October and cleaves feathers were ruffling he was puffing now he and Danny and Larry Kramer already had words what the quilt was being laid out because they were selling the silence equals death part he says excuse me the only merchandising on this quilt will be names project merchandise that might make myself clear you cease and persist while Larry Kramer's not used to anyone speaking to him calling it a fucking AIDS brother he didn't think it was a defeatist thing he understands the respectful homage but at the time he's calling it AIDS brother so I tried to diffuse the situation I see them quibbling and I go well I don't know do you want to think about this man? he nearly stepped off to the curb only to find another location Danny is at his post with the cherry pickers and people are lining up that he impressed us as an international crowd local crowd I have a problem Danny said how's Danny he's working as a publication he doesn't like he won't take them off everybody I see a full crowd where I was a monitor was kind of you know watching Danny out moving the machine perfectly and then I came to know this guy was right there was some Christian paper or paper that wouldn't publish his cartoons he remembered those rejection weapons and he in his little way was able to because I'm sorry full on you know like the old fashioned elevator so a great time came and Danny came by where I was monitoring I said so let's go oh I said well tonight's candlelight vigil so we'll meet up in the memorial great speakers our friend Brian White's mother Danny would be there who is all the kickoff to what would be the fd8 demo so I said so what's the deal would you want a charity figure I don't like somebody that'll go up I just picked up on it I hired all of them he's leather he talks hilarious I said yeah it was there I heard it came to my vigil and everybody came alongside the reflecting pools very open, very emotional the candle was broken and if you know about me to imagine what they borrowed from the Chicago group was the policy that you wear all the way the committee asked us to wear all white and in San Francisco saw that I wanted I wanted we got all out of there by the corners okay candlelight vigil I'm not paying attention my burgundy candle is not dripping all over I see Larry on the corner he's always ringing the pots I walked up to him with my head back holding my nose I said Larry I said we had to go teach him a lesson I said I should get away from him he was ready and I appreciate that I appreciate that he did not respect the family someone might have told me last night to get out of the metro the girl has folded up successful display press numbers we're in Rockville, Maryland and you can see here it is the different affinity groups boy I tell you you just got to be inspired the pissed caucus which was the people with immune system disorders the PWA group they were the first ones to get arrested each entrance to the FDA was shut down by another action brilliantly organized and Danny Danny Wood Thumpert was there and I see Danny on the bus the same ground as they use on the quilt were used as handcuffs people were being dragged Reagan was on an effigy the employees you saw the thousands of them looking out their windows they can't exit, they can't enter he's masterful and so oh yeah that was the day we left to go back to Chicago so I knew Danny would be arrested I said I'm going to pack up everything I thought worked out I'll meet you at the airport and that's exactly what happened he just barely made it he says well where's my bag I said I checked it oh why well that's where my earline took it and it's not a word and we hear the engine starting and everybody on the plane is wondering you know he still got all the the powder from the sprays and I said well we got to get his ticket well some nice gay attendant was kind enough to go down the luggage in the plane, secure the ticket they're just about ready to pull off we come in the airplane thunderous applause Danny's wheels are now turning about coming back to Chicago it's renaming the Chicago for AIDS rights group act of Chicago and showing solidarity with the group that he had just spent the last 12 hours with a successful demonstration a cohesive one and that was kind of the beginning of him finding a way to channel the bridge as a man living with AIDS as a man who was brutalized physically and sexually by his dad just like his sisters were every day of their life till their 20s well and he left the families nest in Hyde Park and terrified the mother she did not want him telling stories about the family she wanted everyone to live in that building he was a gay man he had a gay life and that man and between his art board was Paul Adams who approached him and said you know you're a cartoonist you ever think about getting published he goes no nice of you to think about it got friends in the case of Chicago matter of fact Paul was writing that awful travelogue he was oh it was just dreadful Joey yes it was awful but that's okay he wrote about everything endlessly and he was fascinated with the pornographic and he got Danny published every week as a political cartoonist of which I shared there's 200 original cartoons they're in the possession of Mark Hyde's Picture Salvo because when he heard I had a flood in my basement one year he said oh gosh what a mess oh by the way where are the cartoons I said oh yeah they're in the basement they come out I must have them I go okay he's out and matter of fact after Danny died and the family decided to come after me in the picture because they wanted their cartoons and the evidence that Danny was a crowd fan living with AIDS and was gay so I sent them to Larry and he said send them not in an archeological dig will that mother ever find those cartoons I don't know how to think my in my bedroom closet that's it okay well he came for a couple years I appreciate him you know he should be alive people might want them as an accent or a book or a kind of gay neighbor might like a reflection on a topic it took him a week to figure out how to send him there insurance it's just priceless I said well how did I send it to you I left you under insurance what do you think he's right well I don't know I mean they can't be replaced anyway he must have figured out a way to send them because they sat in the open hand office at 9 on 9 Belmont FedEx or UPS some must have delivered it Sam Clark they sat for 5 days before anyone mentioned they had arrived so here's the artwork in the same box I sent them to never tampered with it they were back in the city and like what's this since everybody in Africa got a hand in days ago so they're in the city and eventually they'll be archived and scanned all that it's a great legacy because in his short years as an activist and an artist he really loves Sam Clark personal, professionally his art his art let's switch gears a little bit and talk about open hand how did open hand begin and I understand that the Chicago Health Fire Club benefited open hand I will say what my respect and appreciation let's start I mentioned the quilt display that was on a national tour Deborah Resnick was driving a rider rental truck called Stella she drove from city to city and in Chicago her quilt was Scott Lago so many people that are from the San Francisco committee and there we were some were maybe a brutally hot a drought year but we had a cloud burst for all two minutes on that Sunday and between the leaky roof and the floor of maybe here rust spots were dripping and a famous Chicago rain plant came to be by the visqueen that Paul aired found we learned all about the visqueen the layers we covered them everything anyway, Cleave was panicking we were going home and said no, it stayed we stayed up all night hand washing the rust stops the dates and we got those cyclonic little fans to dry everything off and it worked I think San Francisco was very impressed by everything they saw here and they should be impressed it was an amazing accomplishment and I would say the host committee of which I was part went through a little post-partum blues you work on a project with very little egos Mayor Eugene Sawyer extremely supportive providing signage on the expressway which back in 1988 that was a big step presentations promotions promotion member of the bus cart yes everything about it was a magnificent display closing ceremony he has three girls to come sing a special closing number Danny did not come to that this morning until the closing ceremony because we dedicated 600 panels that week of just Chicago I want to say Chicago Boys but there might have been a few babies from the pdf journey children to the memorial and a few girls but there were 600 panels dedicated then we just started with everything Danny came out with the dinner Cleave posted afterwards it was very hard for him and the committee thought you know we work well together why stop and we gathered and we thought what is the one thing we should do next I mean we just knew we had to feed people housing was set up I mean we could have gone into head care we could have gone into any number of things but the feeding of people just seems so basic and we decided we would model ourselves to open up San Francisco and I went out to meet Ruth to bring her a little senior citizen we used to first she had problems and then in a church basement she just had to make meals and everyone else and I was behind her so we didn't know that was going to be our name I came up with a few that were going to take it like label label second label they said 20 words okay don't soup I thought the story two words food or old express finally after 20 games I gave up but I did off on one last one out of frustration because they didn't like it so project drivers on a bus driver we brought this together we found that Matthew was at one time volunteer coordinator around even case managers we did everything until town time walked up he says did real good except what about kitchen you're right you can use mine and that's what we did press event announce in this program Christmas for deliveries I have to say I have to go with every directional turn every route that I however there was one driver who knew better who and he got lost and I told Greg Harris he had turned around that scenario I hear him speak probably about that first ground it was a snowy night it was a cold night you know I finally got to my last my last client he didn't say who's lost finally got to my last client and he was sitting in the hallway with his pajamas slippers and robe and looked at me and said it didn't forget me no the client said gee I would wait forever in a damn hallway I talked to the client David he said you know ladies and gentlemen after that delivery I knew I was doing the right thing I approached you to support this program I felt there I know it really now but that's okay so we had started over the holidays and yes of January first that year of 89 we were on the road every night how did the Chicago Hellfire Club benefit the whole time? they approached me much of 89 and said you know what you're going to need a place to get phone messages from volunteers and clients you're going to need a mini-agraph machine you're going to need that IBM selector and we're offering you rent free your first year in office space how do you thank somebody for that but then how do you acknowledge a gem I said wait a minute what about you fellas welcome by every couple of weeks there's office supplies you need a location because we had basically been kind of flopping around don't forget there was no staff everyone was a volunteer there was no board it was just a program fueled by good intentions we had a hospital and we had a ground sample floor we didn't save our patients but we could feed them we had a west side hall everybody got involved Arthur and Pepi's business started the adoption round like only university social work department said you got any clients at rogers park I said yeah about six rounds we'll take three of them and it's funny because I spent a lot of time at the age room at the sonic issue not just for TNA for a lot of people and on a quarter to five I'd always leave and say well I'll go to my room nurses would see me get out of there they never asked me until one night Dr. Black said what do you do to deliver news papers I said I won't I said no we'll do the unveils and all these nurses are listening really? I'm all fine Monday great I'll meet you at the end of the day we'll deliver to some of your patients and so everybody really wanted to do the right thing I don't think there's too many people in the gay community of Chicago that doesn't have a connection one way or another they filled it out around they were a runner they packed meals in the downtown tennis kitchen unfortunately boring for them she was a burgeoning caterer at the time and said I'll have meals well she started coming and yelling coming out of the kitchen she didn't think there was enough soup in the portion she didn't like the presentation of our roast she didn't like the packaging he says you are fired and get that though out of my kitchen she says I'm a volunteer you can't fire me and he says I can hold the door and I'll chill I said I'd appreciate your attention or she says well I guess I'm a driver I said bye so if you don't like the intentions everyone wanted to be part of doing something they had friends who were getting meals or they had co-workers they had landlords who were trying to evict you insurance companies were robbing you nutrition was uncertain so someone like Jordan who touched the fine sand and gave them a nice firm grab to touch them and put little skills on the lunchboxes and Dorothy is unique she volunteers a lot of gay organizations politics bother her staff bother her she's been with us a long time and she her route she's a senior citizen worked hospices AIDS care hospice child health hospice but there would be Dorothy cluster for birthday cards because she knew it would always be the last birthday she wanted to make it memorable we knew the meals we delivered on Christmas Eve that would be the last Christmas so there I am on the south side which I know very well from the blues bars I am a little turned around because of the blues barricades mask 76 and still me I had a client on 73rd place I found 73rd street I found 74th street where the hell is 73rd place I'm right here in Enid in the pickup truck she says for God's sake let's call this man doesn't matter I said hold on a second we're going to have another driver going out tomorrow I've got to let him know we found that we backed up an alley we backed up two alleys one through a one way street the wrong way onto a cul-de-sac I said look 73rd place I said I said I'm not going to call anybody there he is I'm going to find something about your street he says well don't it won't stick on the road because I'm moving this way since you're not moving in the road I said we'll find you and it didn't last too much longer after the move but he was tickled with the groceries the lovely meals and we brought gifts but yes I still remember my 625 self-draft self my first Christmas one of the neighborhood regulars they've been out enjoying the festive season I was worrying it up to that night with some Christmas ornaments in it and this man was enjoying himself probably all week kind of falls against me he goes what do you call that hairstyle you know I've been meeting some new people every week and I didn't want to strange anyone you know I need to make a phone call one night or I might have a flat tire one night and I looked at him I said well sir this is my Dairy Queen now Swirl he says I really like it in life chances are everybody would have a cross pass and he also said I said oh this is a city program you ask your social worker I didn't say too much I didn't say too little and I didn't breach confidentiality you know back then people were very you know my client the humble part I think the owner will remember this route sheets be discreet Jacqueline has about this her illness beautiful brownstone he threw it off of our vintage I'm going to be discreet and I ran the doorbell and off the third floor the young woman sticks her head out I don't know I have a delivery okay she loaned us a bucket on twine down to the third porch I said oh I miss the doll I'm having the cost send the kids down now the buckets are already in everyone on the street I was watching this and I okay well I am being discreet I'm not saying too much too little but I want to assist her just put the mills in she hoisted up okay this is you know her deal I never figured out what it was she moved short the afterwards and she moved to a Chicago house of Westside locations so walking into the buildings any number of residents but yeah the open hand volunteers went throughout the city Southside Westside great Harris went into Rogers Park on Howard Street he got turned around on John Colteris to give the business once in a while well in speaking with some of the volunteers for open hand by the richest groceries I have I'm universally told that they like to volunteer because of you personally so I would say what is it that you do that motivates these people well I'd say first of all I think they've made a commitment to the program and by us all working together I think we get the job done well you know I'm part of the last of the founding group of the program if their people passed away or moved on so maybe I I put a face to the history of it but I can't take credit for that because it's been always from before there was open hand till now we talked about the mills and we started in 1994 people were improving, better medical you know a situation and medication again a team effort look at some of these mentors like Dean Elmer delivering meals every Christmas Eve with his brother that was our ritual he says give me a north side row because afterwards we're just going to keep going up the to Wisconsin in those blizzards who among the first truck that came along with you know Tom Keele and the rest to the pantry you know there's a core of dedicated people who just saw and knew you know there's nobody else was doing it and said this is where I have found a place and when we left Lakeview up to the neighborhood right now which is Edgewater we met some lovely volunteers we had assisted at our central and it was the project part and if you very well know on Tuesdays who is the rink leader who is the one gal that rattles the rows like no one else but Jean Jean keeps us in line to be the part this is a woman a patron of the arts a legendary committee person board member advocate and after six cups of coffees I'm telling you she's amazing well wait a minute what does it say about the young lady who commutes from Crown Point to Vienna where she has a horse farm a former Lakeview resident who relocated to her horse farm on the a timely death of her husband Tom who we were just crazy about on Tuesday at four he came to pick up his lovely lady they spent their weekends with their horses losing Tom was a huge loss for all of us and yet Debbie relocated her life in order and commutes so I would say these individuals are above and beyond when it comes to volunteering they enjoy the work they do with each other the bus driver the clients the very first volunteer to sign up on Tuesday in 1994 first week there was one operating from his route CTA so everybody's story and speaking of meals we now inherit partners of longtime drivers only Raymond and Kurt it's one word Raymond and Kurt Raymond and Kurt on Fridays return to school teacher of Lakeview High School currently unavailable on Fridays while the next generation Kurt and Susan one word Kurt and Susan so in the middle of everything Raymond's partner he's been pretty effective Gourmet chef record tour all people he's got such interesting backgrounds and they all plant the demeanor of the Tuesday group the Thursday group we've got floaters Skye is one of our new volunteers in the last couple of years found his nation I think at Grocery Land there's a role for everybody because people are dedicated to serving and as I said what we need I get to be around these wonderful people every week of every month maybe not so much our no care work but you know it's been a great ride and one day and I say this all the time we just shut our doors we're not needed anymore we did a good job and then I'll talk to somebody else your mouth to God's ear it would be such a pleasure don't know if it'll happen in my lifetime we've assured the clients, the partners, their families as long as we're needed they can count on us which is why right now during these challenging times I am going back to basics and we've been able to step on our shelves to meet our mission to serve the clients because if the country is struggling our clients are struggling double we see it with the substance abuse and the crystal math we know they're self-medicating and mental illness and they can't get an appointment for services we see it all we see it all we want to try to do the right thing but with all the clients we have can you imagine to be 40s, 50s still not be able to read we never will sometimes you're not that I'm not going to make any judgments how anyone got sick we all feel everyone deserves to eat and if they're drug addicts will say boy, things aren't worth it I'm ready for treatment we jump right in if someone were to approach me about literacy classes I would do the same thing but until it comes up there's a bunch of a letter off as I am I feel a bit alone so we feed people I would say we nourish them because there's so many levels of what happens in our center I know what clients get depending anniversary is one of my clients Mr. Hardaway every anniversary of his wife and children really butchered of the Rogers Park and he walked into the house to spine them drawn and ordered he would become catatonic every December and he would go back to heroin and he would come in and he would be a zombie except two years ago he didn't come in at the end of November I have a worry about December coming up he was one of two of his clients out on Howard Street Mr. Hardaway and it was too much for him I guess that year also that was the year of the fentanyl based heroin and he got a hot dose instead that was it he was seen being taken out by another client I'm sure you're going to go to Mr. Hardaway and I thought they had times coming to beware well this was different so you never know what's going on with the client when they first hit the door in the early days their parents told them I don't think you should come home for Thanksgiving this year Chris your sister will be your baby Chris was devastated I had already given out my X number of turkeys Chris said well I guess I had a holiday at home that's when you have to get over to Jewel you fight at Turkey and Chris was able to get through the holidays because he was very hurt tell us about the Jefferson Award what do you want? I brought the Jefferson Award because I think it's a great testament to all tears of open hand in all the years since Jackie Alnessis and Sergeant Shriver and Eunice started this wonderful organization honoring community service in cities around America the one and it was in the 70s I think it was 72 72 was a big year what are they doing? the government was glued to them the sand program this program on a local level the good works of just local citizens is a family to you literacy like a woman who won with me the senator, the late Joe Land alter the behaviorist who's some Jonathan is a lot different to me and open hand and only program dealing with AIDS that has ever been acknowledged. And I consider that on behalf of the volunteers of Living and Dead who contributed so much, how did this come up for this award? A young man walked in on a winter day in December of 1996 and it was snowing. It was the day we were closed. It was a Wednesday. And we were at 39 o'clock to share it. And he walked in, he said he was from California. He was very sick and he was trying to arrange through Howard Brown some medication when it's all needed to hear because none of them anyone ever told you. Because I was able to give him some meds that he needed by a friend who stockpiled some food. And he was hungry. I had gotten him a room with a Julian. Oh, there's a Julian. It's not there anymore. Torn down, huh? I don't keep up. I guess where the yellow cab bus barn, the terminal was, I hosted the other day. It's a hard move. I said, I guess I haven't had a picture. They said it's not there anymore. I said, yeah, I know, isn't it? I got him some groceries.  And he was able to eat. And he never forgot that experience. I asked him if he was coming in and getting groceries. He had a crush, and of course he didn't. And Tony Galini, he would talk about Tony. I said, well, you know, Tony is a volunteer. He just did a route. And I said, I knew he was a good person. And he is. And he's always so beautiful. I guess I was getting to know Chicago a little bit because he was from, I think he had a family in Indiana, but he was kind of detached from the whole thing of services. He got his meds. He was able to eat. And he just found a letter that was extremely gracious when he finally came to meet him. His name is Jeremy. And the experience was a good one. He eventually revoked it to California. But before leaving, he saw a commercial about this award that would be honoring Chicagoans. And if anyone wanted to make a nomination for him, he considered himself kind of a buddy writer. And he put something together that was really simple. He was sick. He didn't know how much time he had. But in Chicago, he found a place that welcomed him and fed him and offered resources. And he said, boy, they do great work. And all of a sudden, I'm getting a call from Lerner and Wert at Channel 5 about the Jefferson. And of course, I'm being a smarty. I was like, oh, we see you being there. I guess what was the number of this organization I knew about was called the Non-Equity Theater Award called the Jeff. But they didn't call this the Jeff. They called it the Jefferson, which I felt was, I don't know, it came to understand more. And I was like, oh, I can't accept this. Oh, are you a non-native and a committee and a ceremony? And I go, oh, Saturday, I'm there. What's in the afternoon? Next again, I'll get yourself a portion. Oh, come on, come together. You gotta go. And I asked Dean, I said, oh, yeah, you gotta accept it. Well, I did. On behalf of the visionaries of the lesbian and gay community who are responsible along with myself, you know, as we all know, the great stuff of the world, it's not a person. It's us. It's what we did or it's what they did. And if someone tells you otherwise, then I would question their lives. It's not ever just one person. I mean, clearly, we can. And honoring the Navajo co-tographers. Yes, it was his idea. But a lot of people shared the vision and made it happen. And they all deserve that acknowledgement. And same thing with this, this device is going to go out and then it's going to explode. There was a beautiful ceremony. And they talked about the AIDS community and he quotes from Jeremy. And the Friday part was walking into the lobby of NBC. Victor took another entrance and put us any expression. Well, it can't be right. And we get into the lobby around the corner. I did not expect these gigantic photographs on easels of the winners of the year, my co-winners.  I was too much. I was too much. But it was a lovely evening and there's a color guard and you walk under these rifles and they're honoring you, the various newscasters. They're so proud and it was an opportunity, to acknowledge everybody that created Open Hand and serves Open Hand. They really thought that they're done in breath once they were claimed by the epidemic to make sure that the program will always serve. 2010, we're still here. And for them, I think we've done right. In the leather community, we have Mr. I&L of 2004. Just popped into Chicago, out of the mood. No sooner does he drop off his hat boxes and toiletries and eye drinks. He's walking down the hallway and I met Jason Hendricks. A gracious helpful sort. We've got community businessmen. Everybody knows wall-to-wall framing and edge-water life. There's not a more accessible businessman, other than Arthur and Pepe. It got a few years on him when it comes to serving the community for every event, for every momentum, for every auction. Leaves says, well, what can I do then? That's called having a good heart and just doing the right thing. So the goodness that abounds is unparalleled. Unparalleled. Do ghosts visit you? Yeah, I'm grateful that they do. I've had visitations. I remember that my daddy came to visit me and sat on my bed and I had something sharp on the nightstand and I jabbed myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. And the next morning, all of that hurt. Yeah, it was for a few seconds, you know. He was sitting on my bed, looking healthy full head of hair. And at the end of the auction, we had a professor up the hill and a gorgeous head of hair from the Keemaw was gone. John Henry did a visitation and it was the length of the window at the pantry and the chair.  I may not sigh, but I know visitations they can. We've had fondness of visitations. Our client too much before he died was struggling at St. Joe Port David which is because he called me from intensive care. He asked to be taken off the respirator wanting him to make a short phone call to me about how Danny had come to visit him and I'm thinking, well, you know, you're on a respirator it's oxygen deprivation. He said, well, Andy, I wasn't on the respirator and I woke up and Danny was sitting at the foot of his bed and he said, David, it's not your time. It's not your time. It's been four months after that although he was not asleep until last evening so I welcome that. It comforts me. It comforts me and I'm very open to visitations whereas a visitation from me would probably and our volunteer who used to be a bartender at the spike in New York came home to die after all his friends died and his last mom saw the call and said, well, mom, am I driving to make? He said, Jerry, you just did a real nice time. Well, I'm okay. I'm going. Sure. You went to Jim Hargis. He was 17. A famous Puerto Rican Jim that Jim Hargis loved. He said, oh, the last time he got his death and he doesn't have a pleasure system take all your time. I like watching the guys in the trailer. Jerry spent a lot of time helping us. We'd go to Coney Island on his birthday because he may be right at the front seat of that gap and more elsewhere. But it was a ritual and I love the need to have fun. It would be delicious. They are. Well, he decided he was going to stay there with his sister to the end. Well, as we conclude, I've got a little bit of video footage I'd like to share with you. So why don't we smooth you over a little bit so that you can see it along with the audience. Let's go ahead and share over here. Only heaven on Coastal Cities. New York, San Francisco. Wow, where they were on. Do you think they care if that makes a Japanese guy? By the president of Chicago Health Fire who was instrumental in the first office of Open Hand. And then we have to... And look at what he was able to accomplish. Yes.