Spring, 2002. The crocuses are blooming. The clock is ticking. History is happening.

A century ago when Illinoisans looked back in time they saw themselves as modernists. After Reconstruction, three assassinated presidents, the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and victory in the Spanish-American War, they had seen it all and were ready to embrace the future. World Wars I and II were as yet unthinkable. And the moon was still the exclusive domain of poets.

Today there's a whole new generation of modernists in Illinois. We too, have seen it all, from the blueprint of DNA to 9/11 to the Sea of Capricorn as real estate. Yet, if history tells us anything, it's that time is a paradox. Our future is both before us and behind us. Lincoln and Douglas still speak to us; Chicago still overwhelms us; the Mississippi still contains us; and Cahokia is there to remind us that this, too, shall pass. History circumscribes us, no matter who we are, no matter where we stand. It is the record of our collective—and personal—experience as Illinoisans, and it defines us for all who follow in our footsteps.

Now, more than ever, your Illinois Heritage holds a key to tomorrow. Read it. Share it. Pass it along to your children and grandchildren. Just don't take it for granted. You hold our future in your hands.

—William Furry
editor

ILLINOIS HERITAGE 3