"Bill Thomas, now living south of San Francisco, did a great deal of the prep/organizing for said event, including the appearance of Sally Rand and her famous Fan Dance. I believe its original notoriety came from doing said dance—bare-chested behind the always-moving white-feather fans—at Chicago's Century of Progress World's Fair in 1933-'34. Even at her age—at the time of the Orange Ball I believe Sally was in her late 80s—the skin of her chest was still a perfectly smooth, milky-white. Somehow Bill and the Lagooners got Sally out of retirement for this event. Bill was also the brains behind some of the other themed party events ( i.e. "Where Wally Went" ) hosted by the Lagooners.
"The Orange Ball was put on by the Lincoln Park Lagooners in direct response to Anita Bryant, along with boycotting Florida orange juice ( for which I believe she was a national spokesperson ) ." — Gary S. ( Steve ) Williams.
Pride 1975 ...
"Mark Segal and I hit it off during that year's gay pride festivities, and, after the parade, Mark, being one of the grand marshals of the parade, was invited by Chuck Renslow to dinner at the Dewes Mansion ( Renslow's home at that time ) . Apparently, Renslow would gather together his 'family' ( managers, bartenders/bathhouse/etc., and other associates ) and have a special dinner as a celebration of gay pride. As I was somewhat 'attached-at-the-hip' to Mark, I was invited as well. The chef for the dinner was Dom ( Etienne ) Orejudos, and I recall that for dessert he served up incredible banana splits for everyone. Having an architectural avocation, the guided tour of the Dewes mansion by Renslow had me immersed in history ... little did I know that I was also participating in it as well. After dinner, in the library, Renslow told of participating in some of the Kinsey Institute's pioneering sex research. Later, Dom took me up to the 3rd floor ( originally a ballroom ) to see his art studio. And now, years later, I am becoming increasingly involved with the Leather Archives & Museum.
"Mark Segal's claim to fame came largely from 'zapping' Walter Kronkite's live, national news when he walked across the TV-studio set behind Walter live, during an evening broadcast, while carrying a sign pertaining to Gay Rights ( or events close to this ) ; I wonder if a videotape is viewable in the CBS video archives. I was told by John Maybauer ( another one of the original founders of the Howard Brown Memorial Clinic —now Health Center ) , that Mark is presently living in Chicago with spouse." — Gary S. ( Steve ) Williams.
Gay Chicago Alliance ...
"Last Feb. 23, you wrote in your Outlines column about Jerry Cohen's part in creating Chicago Gay Alliance and the Gay Community Center at 171 W. Elm St. This site may be on the gay tour of Chicago you conduct from time to time so I thought I would suggest another nearby site that is a part of early gay liberation in Chicago. This is the townhouse ( 19th century ) at 1150 N. LaSalle, very close to the former Chicago Gay Community Center house on Elm St. Jerry Cohen lived in the upper of the two apartments there, while I lived on the first floor. It was an all-gay building at that time.
"The founding meeting of Chicago Gay Alliance was held in Jerry's apartment, with Jerry, his roommate Bob, Gary Chichester, Nick Kelley, myself and a few others in attendance. ( Subsequently, I was elected the first CGA librarian. )
"Ten years later, 1150 N. LaSalle was the location for another gay history event when my apartment was used for what I have been told was the first benefit for the Gerber/Hart Library. Graham Chapman, of Monty Python fame, with his boyfriend, was the guest of honor and a good time was had by all. I think the townhouse at 1150 N. LaSalle should be known for its part in Gay Liberation in Chicago. Although Jerry Cohen and I lived there very inexpensively, I have been told the building has been newly rehabbed as a single-family dwelling again and is up for sale at around 3-1/2 million dollars!
"Another thing that might be of interest to you is that Jimmy's Tap at 55th and Woodlawn, in Hyde Park, was a noted place for gay University of Chicago people to meet in the pre-Stonewall days. I met my first ( and second and third ) boyfriends while sitting at Jimmy's bar while a student at the U. of Chicago. It was also a sort of staging area for Hyde Parkers, for we would meet around 11 p.m. and have a drink or two before piling into taxis for a trip to the northern bars. My friend Cyril would tell the taxi driver to take us 'to fairyland' and the driver would take us, usually without further discussion, to the corner of Clark and Division streets." — Bob Coale
Memory Check:
In June 1974, Charles "Chuck" Renslow, along with Herbert Schmidt and Dom Orejudos, bought the Dewes Mansion at 503 W. Wrightwood for a reputed $200,000. The 19th century baroque mansion was declared a Chicago architectural landmark by the City Council on June 12, 1974. The Dewes Mansion was the location for many gay fundraisers and events over the years.
At the time of the purchase, Schmidt was operating the Red Barron bar-restaurant at 2265 N. Lincoln Ave., where a popular gay bar, the Gold Coast, once did business, before it opened at 501 N. Clark St. Does anyone know why the Gold Coast on Lincoln was sometimes called Gerry's Club?
In late-1973, Jimmy's Tap ( 1172 E. 55th ) , and the House of Tiki ( 1612 E. 53rd St. ) —two bars frequented by gays—requested, through attorneys, that they be removed from Chicago's Gay Directory.
Future historians take note: The memory section in this column contains just that—Memories!—and are only to be used as a starting point for your research. Send your stories to Sukie de la Croix at Outlines. He also interviews over the phone or by e-mail sukiedelacroix@iname.com .
What a Difference a Gay Makes
The Gay/Lesbian Movement, 5, 10, 15 & 20 Years Ago
July 30-Aug. 5
1995: 5 Years Ago
U.S.: Linda Hamilton and RuPaul star in A Mother's Prayer, a USA Network original film about a New York mother with AIDS who wants to find a family for her son before she dies. t Comic Rita Rudner on the joys of make-up: "I like being a woman. It's like being a female impersonator every day." t President Clinton, ending decades of common cold-war practice, signs an Executive Order barring Federal government from denying security clearance to lesbians and gay men simply on the basis of their sexual orientation. t Austria: A gay activist outs four Catholic bishops as part of a campaign to force Parliament to move on gay-related legislation. Kurt Krickler told reporters he had "watertight" evidence that Bishops Christolph Shoenborn, Andreas Laun, Klaus Kleng and Egon Kapellari are homosexuals. t South Africa: A spokesman for South Africa's ruling African National Congress says that prisons should give out condoms and stop segregating HIV-positive inmates. t Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe delivers a stinging attack on gays at a book fair in Harare, where his government has banned a gay exhibit.
1990: 10 Years Ago
U.S.: Hearts and Flowers by Joan Armatrading is in record stores. t AIDS activists react angrily to comments made by Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan in a Washington Times interview, in which he characterized ACT UP as a "fringe group" not representative of the greater AIDS community. t In San Francisco, gay-rights leaders become so angry with Poland's Solidarity movement leader, Lech Walesa, that they demand a one-block downtown street named after him be changed. The city's gay supervisor Harry Britt calls for hearings on renaming the street. The Dump Walesa Street movement grew out of a front-page news report in the Bay Area Reporter claiming the Polish reform leader had promised to "eliminate" homosexuals and drug users from the country if he's elected. t Canada: In Vancouver, Celebration '90, the Gay Games III opens with a parade of 7,000 athletes from 28 countries being cheered by a crowd of 30,000 people. t A Canadian panel of judges in Ottawa holds that gay prisoners have the same right to overnight visitation by lovers that heterosexuals have.
1985: 15 Years Ago
U.S.: Quiet Fire: Memoirs of Older Gay Men by Keith Vacha is in bookstores. t Four women, artificially inseminated with sperm from the same gay man, apparently become infected with the AIDS virus. t The Los Angeles City Council passes an ordinance banning discrimination against persons with AIDS. All members present voted in favor. t Officials at Harvard Law School bow to pressure from gay groups and expand their non-discrimination policies to include lesbians and gays. t Canada: Canadian Human Rights officials recommend the repeal of an armed forces policy barring gays and lesbians from serving in the army. The Commission also recommends a reexamination of the policy prohibiting women from taking part in combat. t France: French police resume gay harassment and officials urge the reinstatement of the homosexual control squad. t Australia: An Australian gay City Councillor petitions the government in Sydney to change the Anti-Discrimination Act to protect gays and lesbians, giving them access to public places. t Kenya: Lesbians are stopped from distributing a pamphlet at the UN-sponsored World Conference on Women.
1980: 20 Years Ago
U.S.: Anita Bryant's days of advertising orange juice end when her contract with the Florida Citrus Commission expires, never to be renewed.
