Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Chicago doctor, 75, cellist, traveler, marathon runner
by Ross Forman, Windy City Times
2014-10-21

This article shared 9657 times since Tue Oct 21, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Leon J. Hoffman has been playing the cello since he was 4 years old, playing in concerts since he was 5 or 6, and was part of an orchestra that played Carnegie Hall in New York City when he was 9.

Hoffman also has run 60 marathons, including the Chicago Marathon about 10 times, dating back to the 1978 event—the second time the 26.2-mile race was ever held. ( He did not run this year. ) And he's also run the prestigious Boston Marathon 10 times, too.

Hoffman has visited about 80 countries, not to mention every state in the U.S. and almost every Canadian province.

Life sure is good for Hoffman, a still-practicing clinical psychologist who is 75 and lives in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood.

"I have a very balanced life and can't imagine how it could be any better," Hoffman said. "I have never taken a vacation because I'm never doing something I don't like. I have been practicing [as a doctor] about 45 years, since the early 1970s.

"Overall, I have nothing but fond memories. It's being an outstanding fit. Life is all about fit and timing. Thankfully I've been able to travel anywhere I want, eat in whatever restaurant I want. I can talk with everyone from the homeless to the nobility. I'm comfortable any place I go. I never feel like an outsider."

Memories certainly are plentiful for this energetic New York native. He talks at length about his lifelong experiences, shares newspaper clips from USA TODAY on down that showcase his views and then pulls out his cell phone to share photos and videos that he's captured. For instance, he has a variety of images he spotted this past June during the annual Chicago Gay Pride Parade.

Hoffman was at the parade this year, as he's been countless times over the past few decades. He knows of Roscoe's and Sidetrack, and has had drinks in both, many times. Hoffman is straight, but certainly intertwined personally and professionally in the gay community.

He's seen enormous "growth, improvement and advancement" in the gay community locally, he said. "[Openly gay] people seem to be much more accepting, comfortable, and unashamed—and that wasn't always the case."

Hoffman said he has known gay professors, gay doctors of a variety of specialties, gay musicians and he's run alongside gay runners—and it's never been an issue.

Hoffman said he's rarely hit on at gay bars. "I don't think I give off signals that [I am looking] for anything," he said.

He said he was lucky as a child to have some exceptional teachers and role models who helped shape his future, especially on the musical front.

At age 14, he played the cello in Symphony New Hampshire, which dates back to 1923. And at age 20, he played alongside Itzhak Perlman.

"As it's been said, music is how our feelings sound," Hoffman said. "My cello, my violin were the most democratic thing I knew. It doesn't say, I don't play for women, or for gays, or for Blacks, or for Jews. It plays for everyone and shows no discrimination. That's what music is all about."

Music tied into his psychology work and more, he said—through the concept of ensemble, which he's used to understand couples, families, organizations, athletic teams, nations, and more.

"I couldn't imagine doing anything else," he said.

Hoffman's travels have taken him around the world multiple times. His two favorite stops are northeast Romania and central Switzerland. "I've been very fulfilled [as a traveler]. I have no [travel] regrets. Travel has been very fulfilling," he said.

When traveling, it is a mix of personal and professional for Hoffman, who often added a few personal days before or after a business trip to further explore the city, see friends, etc.—and said he always paid his own way.

"I'm often asked my most favorite destinations, and my answer always is: where I am at the moment because I have a choice to be here or not, and I choose to be here," he said.

Hoffman for years, regardless of which city he woke up in, hit the streets from 6-8 a.m. for a run, at times covering as many as 15 miles before he started his work day.

Hoffman has run in 80 countries, and he completed the 1978 Chicago Marathon—his first marathon—about six months after open-heart surgery, at age 38, for a blocked artery.

"The marathon for me is symbolic; it's a metaphor for life," Hoffman said. "It's the sporting event where a first-time runner can compete with and against the greatest runners of all time. Name another sport where that happens—there are none.

"The marathon also is the most democratic event in the world in that, everyone runs his or her own race—and they can be any race, religion, sexual orientation, etc."

Hoffman sports black New Balance running shoes with his last name stitched into them—a gift from the popular shoe company, he said. Hoffman, at age 57 in 1996, ran the Chicago Marathon for his 57th overall marathon—and he was given race bib No. 57 because of that unique storyline. In addition, Heinz 57 sponsored him for that race after company executives learned of the runner who also lives in the Chicago zip code ending in 57 and it was the Jewish New Year 5757.


This article shared 9657 times since Tue Oct 21, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Four Chicago Red Stars receive international call-ups 2024-03-28
- CHICAGO (March 28, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars Nádia Gomes, Natalia Kuikka, Alyssa Naeher and Mallory Swanson have been tabbed to represent their countries during the April international window. Forwards Gomes and Swanson are set to ...


Gay News

2024 'Nike Basketball Camps with the Chicago Sky' announced 2024-03-28
- The Chicago Sky officially announced, in a debut collaboration with Nike Sports Camps, 2024 summer basketball camps for Chicagoland youth. Two camps for boys and girls ages 7-15 will take place June 17-21 and July 8-12 ...


Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community 2024-03-26
- LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated 2024-03-24
- Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated On March 23, the Chicago Red Stars took down the Seattle Reign FC 2-1 in the club's home opener at SeatGeek Stadium. With the win, the Red Stars are now 2-0-0 ...


Gay News

ACTIVITIES Pickleball, fine eats and fun are all at SPF 2024-03-21
- Despite the fact that it was invented in 1965, pickleball has only really entered the national consciousness within the last few years. However, there really hadn't been a large indoor dedicated space in Chicago for the ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set 2024-03-20
- The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week 2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

Red Stars start season with 2-0 win 2024-03-17
- On March 16, the Chicago Red Stars kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 2-0 road win over Utah Royals FC in the Royals' inaugural match back in the National Women's Soccer League. Ally Schlegel and ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies 2024-03-15
- Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals 2024-03-15
- It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release 2024 roster 2024-03-13
- CHICAGO (March 13, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced today their final roster ahead of the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season. The club's roster is bolstered by an array of experience brought not ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release midfielder Jill Aguilera 2024-03-12
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 11, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars today announced the release of midfielder, Jill Aguilera. "I want to thank Jill for her time with the Red Stars," said general manager, Richard Feuz. "Over her ...


Gay News

Trans golfer banned from competing 2024-03-08
- Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out on Instagram after the NXXT Women's Pro Tour suddenly announced on March 8 (International Women's Day) that participants must be "a biological female at birth" in order to compete—banning D ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of draftee and midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth. Nesbeth, Chicago's first-round and tenth overall draft pick in the 2024 National ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars announce partnership with Wintrust 2024-02-27
Press release - CHICAGO (Feb. 27, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars and Wintrust Financial Corporation announced a partnership that will see Wintrust become the club's new front-of-jersey partner and community outreach investment ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.