200 North Main St | Bloomington, Illinois | 309-827-0428
200 North Main St | Bloomington, Illinois | 309-827-0428
What happens when you mix a Chicago Irish Democrat with a small-town Illinois Baptist Republican? - The amazing community servant duo of Richard and Judy Buchanan.
In 1988, a group of local activists became exploring a “Sister City” relationship with a Russian community, hoping to lessen Cold War tensions. Jana and Orlyn were in the delegation to the Soviet Union and eventually decided upon Vladimir as Bloomington-Normal’s sister city. Locally, she was called a “communist, unpatriotic” and threatened, including anonymous phone calls: “We know you are home alone right now.”
It’s a rough road from the Louisiana cotton fields to Bloomington-Normal, with obstacles every step of the way. Henry Gay Sr. completed that journey with dignity and standing up for human rights.