This is the story of my one and only true love in my whole life.
He is a wonderful man by the name of Arthur Charles Rosenau.
I met Arthur at the Metropolitan Community Church in San Francisco in the spring of 1978,
at a time when I have just moved to San Francisco from Maine. After my first service at the church,
I went down to the social hall for coffee hour after the service and my eyes fell onto
him and I immediately knew that I was in love despite that I was only 25 years old and Arthur was about 55 years old,
about 30 years my senior.
I was very shy back then; it took me a few week before I got the courage to introduce myself to him.
He was ready for me and I got to know him.
Arthur had a very tough life in his young adult years. Back in 1953, the year that I was born, Arthur was
sentenced to 8 years in prison in Kansas for loving another man, which was a violation to the sodomy law
in Kansas. About 6 years later (when I was at my first grade in school) Arthur was releaed on parole. He
moved to Washington DC, a place that he had hoped would be less hostile thant Kansas.
Unfortunately Arthur was arrested for the same crime in Washington DC. Washington DC had its own sodomy
law. Unlike Kansas, however, the Washington DC sodomy law was only a misdemeanor. He got 90 days in jail.
When Arthur was released from the DC Jail, Kansas had him extradited back to Kansas since his arrest in
Washington DC was a parole violation, so he had to serve out the remainder of his prison sentence.
Arthur was finally released for the last time in 1961 (when I was in the third grade in school). He
immediately got on a Greyhound bus and traveled to San Francisco with one small suitcase.
In San Francisco, Arthur found a cheap residence hotel. There at the hotel, he had found some homeless young
men sleeping on the stairs and in the hallways. he befriended them and they formed a small family and Arthur
finally found himself a home.
Believe me, as I am typing this, I am almost fully crying. I often cannot see the text panel (using the vi
editer in Linux) through my tears.
Arthur met his first lover soon thereafter and they found a house in Oakland.
Arthur's first lover, however, over the years, developed a serious alcohol problem and become belligerent. They
eventually parted ways.
Arthur then found his spiritual home at the Metropolitan Community Church in San Francisco. The Metropolitan
Community Church was founded by Troy Perry as a church with a ministry for gays and lesbians at a time when most
mainline churches were hostile to our community.
Then Arthur soon was striken with cancer. He then started to live with his sister, who also had cancer and they
cared for each other. He still regularly attended services and he was in the choir.
When Arthur and I met, Arthur's cancer had already become terminal, but that did not stop us from falling in love.
Arthur and I had a very loving 3 year relationship in San Francisco before he died of cancer in 1981.
Due to carelessness on my part, I had lost all of my personal photos of Arthur.
However, I have consistently felt Arthur's love from the other side of the veil in the years after he died. I knew
that he was (and is) still at my side and surrounding me.
In about November, 2022, I felt his love getting more intense and he was trying to reach out to me.
That suggests to me to bring Arthur back to life, although not in real person space, but both spiritually as well is
in virtual space or metaverse space if you want to call it that. I had alreaty started to learn Blender, the open source
modeling and animation tool to first re-create KVOS TV our one and only TV station that we lost due to some bad
corporate mistakes and later on my childhood home, and now some Bellingham buildings.
So, with much tears and crying, I started to go back to seek those long lost memories of Arthur and began to model him
using Blender. Here on this page, you can see the results. The images here are in reverse order, with the latest models on top
and going back earlier.
At this time, I feel that the model that I created in January is I feel is very close to what I can remember. This is the model
that I am using in my current animated videos of Arthur.
You can see them on the ilovearthur.net
website, the website dedicated to my reunion with Arthur.
As I create new animations, I put them there and announce
them on Facebook, Reddit, and Linkedin, as
well as word of mouth to my friends and strangers here in Bellingham.
Having undergone through this process of
gently guiding Arthur from the deepest memories of my mind and bringing his beauty
to the people here in Bellingham and the world beyond, I am more and ever feeling his presence and love.
It is his love that is giving me strength and especially courage to do things that I would not have dreamed of before (like performing
free style dancing while aimlessly wandering around the weight room at the Whatcom YMCA after performing a 2 and 1/2 hour workout as
well as spontaneously dancing at unheard of opportunities such as when we sing happy birthday to someone during coffee hour at the
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, I would get up and perform Estatic or Freestyle dancing. I even danced during the Christmas Eve
service and the minister joined me in dancing!
I strongly feel now that Arthur is around me at all times and guiding me in my life. And I tell this freely to everyone I meet here in
this community.
That's pretty much it, but I guarantee that this will be updated as Arthur and his spirits provide me with more thoughts and stories!
For those of you who are not in Bellingham and who want to learn more, you can reach me at allyn@well.com.
For those of you who are in Bellingham, I am the slightly goofy 69 year old man in colorful clothing (under clear plastic raincoats
in the rain) who you see singing while riding my bicycle or walking;
inline skating at Zuanich Park (and falling and mashing my fingers); volunteering at the Spark Museum (best days to catch me at the museum is on Friday afternoons);
swimming at Bloedel or the Taylor Street Swimming Dock; or dancing just
about anywhere (including inside the 3rd floor weight room at the downtown YMCA); or helping run sound and camera at
the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship. Please if you see me, say HI! I am glad to talk with you about this still on-going journey.
After many more tears and searching through the catacombs of my mind
for long lost and fond memories of Arthur, but also getting much
help from the Seattle Blender User Group, I now have an updated
model of Arthur Rosenau. Yes, I love you SEABUG!!!
Although our wonderful relationship
was in 1970's San Francisco, Arthur is in the 1950's
Quackenbush Building in downtown
Bellingham, Washington, where I live now.
Dr. Paul, Myself, and Jackie Hormona in Dr. Paul's office
What you see here are three of us in Dr. Paul's office.
While I was a child patient of Dr. Paul, his office was in
Boston. That building, however was torn down. So I moved
Dr. Paul's office to a virtual representation of the
Fisher Block Building in Bellingham, Washington in the 1950's.
The person on the right is Dr. Norman Paul, my childhood
psychiatrist.
The person in the center is myself as a child and a teenager.
my appearance did not change much as far as I am aware.
The person on the left (sitting in the arm chair) is Jackie
Hormona. Jackie was one of
the unknown and marginialized gay youth who were among the first
who physically tried to prevent the police from entering the Stonewall
Inn gay bar during the Stonewall Riots. Jackie was very wild
(just like me). However he went further. He would climb light poles
during pride and dance on top of light poles!! This is at a far
higher paygrade than my own dancing!!!
I never met Jackie. In fact, whien I saw his picture, I did not
know his name. However, I immediately felt a connection with him
and knew that I have met him (and maybe even was in love with him).
It took me several months to find out his name after I saw the picture.
If any of you have met or seen myself as a child, or Jackie Hormona,
or Dr. Norman Paul, please let me know. You can email me at
allyn(at)well.com.
Thank You Bellingham Blender User Group for Helping Me Improve Arthur and create myself!!
This is my first rendering of myself as I think I looked like during the 1970's. Only one poor photo.
Arthur, my one and only true love is on the left. The person whose head is resting on Arthur's left shoulder is yours truly, Mark Allyn, of the 1980's. And yes, this is before my sewing career began.
Sadly, Arthur never witnessed myself becoming the Rainbow Of Bellingham!But maybe he was the one who gently shephered me (from the other side of the veil) to become the official Rainbow of Bellingham!
We are sitting inside the 1950's vintage Quackenbush Building on Cornwall and Holly streets in Downtown Bellingham, Washington. The American Theatre that you see through the window across the street is unfortunately torn down.
Dr. Norman Paul, My Childhood Psychiatrist Now Joins The Family
Some of you out there in the InterNet, or as what some call the so
called MetaVerse or MaallynVerse, may not know this. . .
When I was a young child, I had a severe hearing problem. Those
days (1950's) hearing aids consisted of earphones and an amplifier
unit that goes into your shirt pocket. That amplifier unit to me felt
as big and heavy as a large building! I never liked wearing it!
With my hearing difficulties, I have become very inword and did not
socialized at all.
Through a program funded by the wonderful State of Massachusetts,
I was able to be a patient of a wonderful psychiatrist. His name
is Dr. Norman Leo Paul. He was on the faculty at Harvard, but he
also practiced at a place in Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston called
the Putman Childrens Center, which by the way, is now torn down.
Dr. Paul has crossed the veil. He is now with the angels, including
Arthur Rosenau, my one and only lover!
The five people you see here are, first on the left is Jackie Hormona. He
was one of the very first gay youth who tried to fight off the police
during the Stonewall Riots in 1969, which started the modern LGBTQ rights
movement. Most of the first rioters were marginalized gay youth. Many were
not know. Very little of Jackie was known. I decided to bring him into my
family. Although I never met Jackie, I felt a connection with him ever
since seeing his picture. It's like he's communicating with me through the veil.
Jackie's head is resting on Dr. Norman Paul's shoulder. I do remember clearly
Dr. Paul's suits and his glasses with shiny metal frames.
There was only one photo of Dr. Paul, an obituary from Harvard University.
Dr. Paul was on the medical faculty of Harvard. That photo, however was taken
nearly three decades after I was his child patient. This modeling is mostly from
memories.
If any of you remember him; he practiced all over the Boston area; please
email me at allyn(at)well.com. I have also posted on Reddit and other media
seeking anyone who remembers Dr. Paul.
Dr. Paul's head is resting on the right shoulder of Arthur Rosenau, the tall man
with the light blue shirt. I met Arthur in San Francisco in 1978 and
immediately fell in love. I knew that he had terminal cancer and that we did
not have much time. We had a very intense and emotional three year relationship
until about January, 1982. I still feel his presence right now from the other
side of the veil.
Unfortunately I had lost all of my personal photos of Arthur. This modeling
is the result of reaching deeply into my own fond memories. And yes, I cried
a lot while constructing these models using Blender, a very powerful open source
tool for modeling and animation.
Resting his head on Arthur's left shoulder, with the clock immediately over his
head is Dwight David Eisenhower. I am including him in my family because he has
deep remourse from signing executive order 10450, which caused the firing of
many gays from the federal government during the 1950's and 1960's. He is here
seeking, and receiving Arthur's sincere forgiveness over this serious mistake.
Resting his head on Dwight Eisenhower's left shoulder is the first openly gay rock
star. His name is Jobriath. I am including him because of his courage during
a time when the music world was not safe for someone who is out. I was excited
by some of the very unique dress that Jobriath used on stage. It was Jobriath who
gave the inspiration to make and wear the clear plastic rainwear as well as the
lighted claer plastic vests.
The building behind the five of them is the Bellingham National Bank Building.
Although the bank is closed, the building is still standing and is owned by
Daylight Properties who specialize in restoring old buildings and bringing
them back to life. This building is also the home of Bellingham's public
radio station KMRE radio.
The theatre just to the left of Jackie Hormona's raised hand is unfortunately
now torn down. This beautiful theatre started as the Beck Theatre in 1900 and
it had over 2,000 seats; much larger than the current Mt. Baker Theatre. This
was the place for high quality shows and it was considered the high society
theatre during the early 1900's. It turned into a movie theatre and was
renamed the American Theatre. This modeling of the facade has been validated
by a person who used to work in the refreshment stand.
Enjoy!
Eisenhower Seeks Forgiveness From Arthur And Friends
As some of you may know, I went through an emotional time trying
to put together my first image of my one and only love, Arthur
Rosenau.
I met Arthur in San Francisco at the Metropolitan Community Church in 1978
(a ministry to LGBT folks at a time when we were not welcome
in most churches.
Our relationship was short (three years before he died of cancer in 1982).
Our relationship was very emotional and intense. We were really
in love! Two as one love; nothing but us for those three years and
beyond, even to now, although we are separated by the veil.
Yet, I still go into tears thinking about Arthur and I cried much
of the time while modeling him using the open source Blender tool.
Even with adding this site (arthur.bellinghamtelevision.com) on
the DNS at my hosting provider (Linode) I wept as well.
When I met Arthur, I seen learned that he was in prison for many
years all for having consensual sex. (Kansas Sodomy Laws). When
he was released, he had one suitcase with him and the got onto
a Greyhouse Bus from Kansas to San Francisco.
This all happened in the 1950's and 1960's.
Which bring up the topic of Mr. Eisenhower (Ike). Some of you
may not know this, but IKE signed an executive order (10450), sometime
in the late 1950's which forced the federal government agencies
to fire homosexuals.
It was during this very repressive era (when I was only a child) in
which Arthur got into trouble. I feel very strongly that Ike's
action was one of many that created the very hostile era for gays
in the 1960's.
Just thinking about this, I am crying.
I decided to come up with a story that is the basis of this
photograph you are seeing. And undoubtedly many more pictures
and maybe even a video.
The story is that Dwight Eisenhower wants to seek forgiveness
from Arthur.
In this picture, the person on the left, is Jobriath, the fist
openly gay rock star. Jobriath loved to dress very extravigantly.
He was the one who inspired me to make my clear rain jackets as
he wore a clear jacket on one of his album covers. While a student
of electrical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institue, I saw
that album at the student bookstore on campus. At that instant,
I know that I had a spiritual path to Jobriath's spirits!
Jobriath's head is on Arthur Rosenau's shourlder.
Next to Arther, with Arthur's arm around his shoulder is Dwight
Eisenhower.
At the far right, with his head on Eisenhower's shoulder, is
a very little known teenage activist directly involved with the
Stonewall riots. His name was Jackie Hormona.
Many of the first who fought the police were
of the margins of the gay society. When I saw his picture where
he is fighting off the police, I had a spiritual pathway to him.
I felt that I knew him, yet I never met him nor was I at the riots.
I want to include him in my stories and I plan to look carefully
at the very few existing photos of Jackie and make improvements
to this model.
I, myself, came very close to getting arrested because I
almost invited a stranger to my apartment, only to learn
that he was an undercover policeman. Someone had whispered
a warning in my ear, after which I, very frightened, ran
home.
The four of them are standing in front of the Sandstone
Lighthouse Building in 1950's Bellingham. That building, now
torn down, stood across Holly Street from the Bellingham
National Bank Building.
This photo op was taken right after a very moving and emotional
forgiveness ceremony for Dwight Eisenhower
that was held in the Lighthouse Building.
Almost all of the 200 people at the ceremony were in tears.
The Sandstone Lighthouse, was one of the most beautiful buildings
in Bellingham's history. It was a true architectural marvel,
constructed entirely oc Chuckanut sandstone.
The Sandstone Lighthouse Building had a small, very intimate
theatre on the top floor; the entrance is what you see between
Eisenhower and Jackie Hormona.
The Bank Of America tore that building down in the late 1950's
and built their brutish ugly branch that stands there right now.
That alone caused me to cry a lot!
Jobriath felt so strongly about Eisenhower's forgiveness that he
wanted to be part of this event. He volunteered to be the producer
of the ceremony.
Jobriath's first choice was the old U.S.S. Bellingham,
a former U.S. Navy cargo ship from 1916. However, Jobriath could
not arrange to have the U.S.S. Bellingham towed from Fort Eustis,
Virginia, where the was finally retired, to the Port Of
Bellingham's Zuanich Point Park. Jobriath was also very concerned
about the effects on the Ancestrial Lands and Waterways of the
Nooksack and Lummi People, of which Zuanich Park and Bellingham
Bay are part of.
Jobriath's next choice was the beautiful but abandoned Lighthouse
Building.
As the Sandstone Lighthouse Building was being prepared to be
torn down, Jobriath had to steal the master keys of the building
from the Bank Of America's headquarters in San Francisco in order
to open up the building for the forgivness ceremony.
Three TV stations in Seattle came up to Bellingham to broadcast
this ceremony live. This, by the way was only event in Bellingham's
history that was live broadcast since the famouse Bellingham
Blossom Time Parade and Festival that was held earlier.
A very interesting footnote is that Jobriath's previos incarnaton
may very well have been Henry Schupp, the manager of the Leopold
Hotel, who was one of the leading businessmen who launched the
first Tulip Festival and Blossom Time Parade, which may suggest
Jobriath's skill in organizing memorable events!
Jackie Hormona's contribution to this wonderful event was a very
memorable reception, held right after this photo op was taken.
It was held at the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention, a very
well known but small and intimate museum specializing in early radio
and electrical history.
Jackie may very well have had some interest in electricity. Rumors
had it that a previous incarnation of Jackie was a man by the name
of James Wimshurst. Mr. Wimshurst was the creator of an early static
electricity generator called the Wimshurst Machine. The Spark
Museum in Bellingham has some Wimshurst Machines, both for
demonstrations as well as available for guests to operate.
Jackie had personally reached out the Nicolas Tesla. Jackie knew
Nicolas because Nicolas was exploring his own sexuality and wanted
to learn from Jackie's experiences being an activist. He was able
to convince Nicolas to be a co-host for the reception as well as
to perform demonstrations on the Spark Museum's well known 3 millioni
volt Tesla Coil.
Jackie was further able to arrange to have both
Edward Howard Armstrong, a major contributor to radio
technology, and Philo Farnsworth a major contributer to television
technology come to the reception. They gave personal testimonies
of their experiences with the early technology.
Jackie was also able to get in touch with George Westinghouse,
the father of the U.S. alternating current electrical technology.
However, Mr. Westinghouse was unable to come because of his own
committment to attend a lecture from James Clerk Maxwell, the
author of the famous Maxwell Equations, the foundation of
classical electromagnetism, which were crucial to radio and
optical technologies. Jackie was able, however, to have George
and James provide personalized video lectures for the reception.
allyn (at) well.com
