Acknowledge Debt of Gratitude

[David Lockmiller]

(09-19-2024 11:21 PM)J. Beckert Wrote:  I wholeheartedly concur, David. Roger rather reluctantly started this website in July 2012 when a site that a lot of us were members of imploded. With a lot of coaxing from friends, the most vocal of which was Laurie Verge, Roger finally demurred and booted it up.

His calm demeanor and steady hand have made it the resounding success it's been ever since. It's viewed worldwide, all due to Roger's diligence, tenacity and amazing knowledge of all things Lincoln.

Thank you Roger and please know how much you're loved.

I printed out and kept the copy of Roger's email dated Fri. 7/06/12 10:24 AM. I had not read the email in years but I knew where I kept it -- in my Team of Rivals book.

I type out Roger's words as follows. The email details the daunting task set before Roger and also notes a philosophic change made by Roger that permitted Rob Wick to make posts on the new website.

From: R. Norton
Sent: Fri 7/06/12 10:24 AM

Dear All,

Please excuse the intrusion, but I went into the Internet Archive and retrieved the e-mail addresses from folks who used to post on the old ALO Friends of Lincoln Mailbag. I am sure many of you have new addresses, so this message may not be received by too many people.

When I heard that Lowell Sneller had a heart attack, I realized that my hope of the old Abraham Lincoln Online Mailbag ever returning was almost assuredly gone. It’s been several years now, and I still had hope. Then I heard the sad news, although it appears he will be OK. In case the name Lowell Sneller is not familiar to you….he is the husband of Rhoda Sneller (the other half of the team that ran the ALO Lincoln Mailbag).

There is always some degree of stress in running a forum; I am pretty sure Lowell would never go back to those days and revive a forum that’s now been dead since 2009 or 2010. Thus, I decided to do something that’s been in the back of my mind for at least a year now.

On July 4 I decided that I would try to start a forum of my own that would be a little like the old Lincoln Mailbag. Right now this is just an experiment, and I asked a few people to act as “test pilots” to see if it would work. Their reaction has been very positive, so I hope to get some new members.

There are quite a few bugs in the program, as I have zero experience in this. I know the template can be modified, but right now I just have the generic look that came with the software. There is so much I do not understand. I know HTML code which I use with my Lincoln website, but all the controls for a forum are just a maze to me right now. Over time, however, as I learn new things, I hope to have a more professional look to it.

I will have one major difference from the old Lincoln Mailbag as run by the Snellers. They often deleted anti-Lincoln comments. Not so here; the idea is not to just sing the praises of Lincoln. Legitimate criticism/arguments over Lincoln’s policies are both allowed and encouraged….as long as they stay civil and professional, without personal attacks on other forum members, etc. This will be the biggest single difference between what I am trying to do and what the Snellers did. The keys are politeness and professionalism. Do not personally attack other members.

I also hope for some humor on the board (we all need that), but not in a way that is sexist or embarrassing to other folks.

Apparently, there is no procedure for uploading an avatar during the registration process. So if you decide to join (and I sure hope many of you do) send me an e-mail with an image of your avatar, or let me know whom you want to be, and I will do it for you. For example, Herb Swingle wanted to be Custer, and I just created the avatar for him.

This is still highly experimental. The software for the discussion group is on the same server as my regular Abraham Lincoln Research website. If it fails, sobeit[one word]. I will just have more room on my server. I will simply go back to running my regular site as I’ve done for the past 16 years. But, I hope it becomes a success, and draws new members over time.

If you are possibly interested in joining, please go to rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussionSymposium.

Best wishes,
Roger Norton