Donn Hornberger:  

Over the last ten years, a group of dear and reliable old friends from the hometown have worked together long and hard to come up with the definitive statement we hope sticks in everyone's minds and hearts for the place we called home, Venice, IL. This was our Island Oasis and whatever we and those that preceeded us have come to, we began for the most part, in Venice. We opened the effort to anyone that had even the most simple sense of belonging and included anyone that contacted us. We excluded no one for any reason from any neighborhood. Every effort was made to be comprehensive both in coverage of years and in persons. I hope when people think of me or any of us on this Venice History Committee, they think of what we've done to keep the memories alive for future generations and for our descendants, decades from now. There is a point that, mathematically speaking, must and will come when all the threatening news heard these days of astroids, melting icebergs, bad microbes, nasty infections, starvation, desertification, coastal flooding, populaton bombs, wars and rumors of wars, pestilences, alien invasion, policitcal dislocation, and all that spells an end, comes to full impact and we face an ignominious termination. Whatever happens at that point, I trust God that somehow, something of us will survive. In the meantime, there is no one that I am angry with, I pray for everyone among us, I hope they do the same for me. I also hope that the DVD speaks for each one among our people when the last hurrah is spoken about our lives and what we valued, serves as the last tender goodbye from our better days, remains behind as a memorial for everyone of us that lived there and remembers a history mostly obscure and now gone. When I'm remembered, it isn't necessary to think of all my bad deeds, I was the worst of all, but please think of what was my best effort...that is, to be numbered among those that worked on the committee to put together the DVD that expresses what we've all lost, the hometown where we lived and grew up. Our school is gone now but we remember the days when it was our second home. Many of the neighborhood homes are gone but we still remember them and those that lived in homes on those now empty lots. So many changes have happened along the trail of life that many people are often totally forgotten, gone from our memories and the DVD allows us to recall Auld Lang Syne and the moments when the local points of interest seemed like the whole world to us. Being forgotten doesn't take long. When you think of any of us, I hope you remember me as someone that was there for you, a friend, a VHS grad, a writer, a musician, academic and a fellow sportsman. Actually, it takes only two generations to be almost totally forgotten so I hope I'm remembered at all! So, for anyone reading this at some point in the future, Auld Lang Syne, my friend, Auld Lang Syne. What does our DVD, both Volumes, almost 40 hrs of viewing/listening time, have to say for all of us? Well, included are all our yearbooks, personality interviews, many stories of times covering almost 225 yrs with special content for the 20thC....Expand for more