If you are new to FlameFans, here is the forum to introduce yourself and learn the ropes of how this community operates. We'll also get you up to speed on the ground rules.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke

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By Honest Abe
Posts
#624680
Hey guys. Introduction post here. I've been a faithful reader since the "W" administration, but never engaged. When I realized how long I had watched from the sidelines, I decided to take the plunge. I process slowly :wink:

Lived in the 'Burg from 05 to 14. Earned my first LU degree in the old DLP days, then the next two on campus after uprooting half-way across the country to Liberty. We fell in love with LU, Lynchburg, and Virginia, so decided to stick around as long as God let us. I worked for LU as an adjunct on campus and taught online for years. Became a true-blue LU football and basketball fan. I miss being close and having season tickets, but still rarely miss a game on the TV (thank God for streaming).

God shifted us to the Land of Lincoln a few years ago (my roots) where I work with a statewide network of churches in leadership development.

The last year or two has been the crossroads of whether I could stay engaged with my alma mater, but the events of last year and the disruption in leadership brought me back into where my heart always was.

My oldest is preparing to move to campus as a sophomore in August, so I thought the time was right for me to finally take the plunge here. I am deeply invested (my history and now more of my money). Looking forward to being a voice in the crowd here!
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#624685
:welcome :welcome

Just don’t step “ on” it 8)
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By Honest Abe
Posts
#624697
Thanks for the welcome guys.

Sly, I'm in the seat of power, Springfield (even though the real power rests in Cook county).

Haize, anyone who talks enough is bound to "step in it" eventually. I'll try to take my own advice, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#624709
Honest Abe wrote: April 9th, 2021, 7:55 pmSly, I'm in the seat of power, Springfield (even though the real power rests in Cook county).
My dad was born in Taylorville and I am a grad of Quincy HS. Rubber Mallet is in the QCs.
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#624711
Sly Fox wrote: April 9th, 2021, 10:46 pm
Honest Abe wrote: April 9th, 2021, 7:55 pmSly, I'm in the seat of power, Springfield (even though the real power rests in Cook county).
My dad was born in Taylorville and I am a grad of Quincy HS. Rubber Mallet is in the QCs.
Give me Elgin or give me death! Or at least the area. :D
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#624757
Sly Fox wrote: April 10th, 2021, 7:11 pm I have been to Elgin and the disease of Chi-Town permeates the place. 8)
When I resided there it was sort of where Chicagoland ended. Now... it’s a bedroom community of the city. Having Sears and Allstate out that way helps. I liked that I could drive 20 minutes East and be close to the City or 20 minutes West and be in farm land. Now? Suburban sprawl.
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By Honest Abe
Posts
#624758
Yeah, Elgin is definitely suburban sprawl. I was up there a couple of months ago for work. Was in the Quad cities a couple of weeks ago. Actually my first time there. I have an old friend who's a Liberty grad from the late 90's who pastors on the Iowa side. I crossed over there to fuel up. We love our taxes her in Illinois, and the gas tax is no exception.
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By Ill flame
Posts
#624760
Sly Fox wrote: April 9th, 2021, 10:46 pm
Honest Abe wrote: April 9th, 2021, 7:55 pmSly, I'm in the seat of power, Springfield (even though the real power rests in Cook county).
My dad was born in Taylorville and I am a grad of Quincy HS. Rubber Mallet is in the QCs.
I'm from southern illinois but lived in hannibal for a few years right down the road from quincy. I didn't realize how well illinois was represented on here.
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#624777
It is exceptionally rare when I claim Illinois on the board. But Hannibal is where I would drive to fill up my tank in high school once they finished the bypass they now call I-172. The day after I graduated from Quincy HS and its city with nearly 50% unemployment, I loaded up and moved back to Ohio before I started school at LU. I haven't been back since.

For the record, sometimes poster Ben Read also grew up in Quincy and Chicagoland.
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By Honest Abe
Posts
#624782
Ill flame wrote: April 11th, 2021, 2:03 am
Sly Fox wrote: April 9th, 2021, 10:46 pm
Honest Abe wrote: April 9th, 2021, 7:55 pmSly, I'm in the seat of power, Springfield (even though the real power rests in Cook county).
My dad was born in Taylorville and I am a grad of Quincy HS. Rubber Mallet is in the QCs.
I'm from southern illinois but lived in hannibal for a few years right down the road from quincy. I didn't realize how well illinois was represented on here.


So when you say Southern Illinois, do you mean south of I-80 or south of I-70? Or the real southern Illinois south of I-64? :D

I grew up in #3. Small world. Yeah, I am surprised with the number of IL connections here.
User avatar
By Ill flame
Posts
#624786
Ive always considered everything south of I-70 southern illinois but I also grew up in marion county.

@Sly Fox I'm not sure how quincy used to be but it seems to be doing pretty well relative to the rest of the state now. Unfortunately that isn't saying much.
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By Honest Abe
Posts
#624793
Nah. Marion county is southern Illinois. But just barely :lol:
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#624804
When I was in HS back in the '80s, nearly every job left town when Cummins closed down their diesel engine plant and Harris moved nearly all of their operations to Florida. MoorMans gambled on Russia and lost big. Back in the day, when McDonalds posted an opening they had hundreds of folks lining up to try and snare that sweet fry cook gig.

My only connection to Quincy in the last 30 years other than a flight from Seattle to NYC passing over it randomly for me a few years back was an unexpected coincidence. When I was working at the NBC station here in Houston, one of the guys who worked with me was the son of heavyweight champion Ken Norton Sr. who was my dad's favorite boxer back in the day. He was shooting a movie in the area and started hanging out with his son between shoots. As it turned out he was from Jacksonville, IL. He and I spent hours together over several weeks with him telling me stories of him romancing Quincy ladies to the embarassment of his son sitting nearby. After he returned home to L.A. whe the movie wrapped, he would call his son and ask to pass on greetings to 'Quincy'. Between his stories about Ali, Foreman and Holmes as well as his random movie career inclduing his starring turn as Mandingo the opportunity to hang with a legend that no one else in the newsroom had even random awareness of his greatness was one of my lasting memories of that stop on my sportscasting journey before moving on to the consulting world.
By ATrain
Registration Days Posts
#624808
The only Quincy I ever knew was outside of Boston :lol:

Welcome to the board!
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#624813
QUINN-see not Quin-ZEE.

But interestingly enough Quincy is located in Adams County. My dad used to joke that there was even a John in every house.
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