Category Greg Burris

Apr 1 2025

Eleven years ago today

Hi everyone,

To my great delight, on April 2, 2014, The Springfield City Council passed a resolution naming the date as David Harrison Day.

What reminded me of that fun occasion is the button they gave me, which just turned up in a drawer that I emptied out because a mouse had made a nest in it. More about the mouse later!

I pulled out the resolution and was reminded that the mayor at the time, the gentleman who signed the document, was none other than BOB STEPHENS, who these days heads up the Bards of Moon City, a dozen or so local poets who go around town giving readings. I read at one last night. Thanks again, Bob, and thank you, GREG BURRIS, who was at the time our City Manager and who made the whole delightful honor happen.

Apr 3 2023

Missed the date

Hi everyone,

For some reason I’ve been thinking that today — April 4 — marks the anniversary of when Mayor ROBERT STEPHENS proclaimed, by vote of the City Council and at the urging of City Manager GREG BURRIS, David Harrison Day. Turns out it was two days ago on April 2, 1914. I loved everything about the event. CHERRI JONES and other folks at Duane G. Meyer Library put together a display of my work, I gave a talk, and an amazing group of Springfield equity actors read from some of my books.

This isn’t an annual event. It just happened once, but I had such great fun! My thanks again to Greg Burris, who was then our City Manager, Robert Stephens, who was then our Mayor, and to the members of the City Council at that time as well as Dean Tom Peters, Cherri Jones, and staff at Meyer Library. Even though I missed the actual date, I still have fond memories of that day nine years and two days ago.