Living, breathing history

Lance Brown has been portraying American humorist Will Rogers for more than 20 years and it hasn't gotten stale yet.

Rogers' witty observations on life and politics ring as true today as they did before his death in 1935, Brown says.

Take Rogers' comment on income taxes: "Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for."

"His humor was universal," Brown said. "I keep finding quotes that are relevant today."

Brown will portray the American icon's social commentary, humor and even some of his lasso tricks in "Will Rogers Now!" the first program of this season's History Speaks lecture series at Naper Settlement in Naperville.

Brown takes the stage as Rogers at 7 p.m. Sunday in the settlement's Century Memorial Chapel, 523 S. Webster St. He said he'll stay entirely in character.

"Will Rogers has come down from heaven and finds us as funny as he ever did," Brown said.

Rogers -- who was born on a ranch in Oklahoma and was one-quarter Cherokee -- became a cowboy, vaudeville performer, Broadway star, movie actor, radio commentator, newspaper columnist, author and devoted family man before his death in a plane crash in 1935.

Many people may not know he was a great philanthropist as well, Brown said.

"He gave over half of his fortune away," he said.

Though he often lampooned politicians, some of them lined up to be objects of his humor, Brown said.

"He made fun of the them, but he was never an attacker," Brown said. "It was good to be seen with Will Rogers."

Rogers' homespun wisdom had its serious side, too, Brown said. For example, Rogers observed, "You have no principles until they are tested."

Brown, who wrote the book "On the Road with Will Rogers," with a forward by Rogers' son, will have copies available at the performance.

Jane Addams

Will Rogers will be followed in the series by actress Annette Baldwin's portrayal of Hull House founder Jane Addams on Nov. 11. The social reformer and Nobel Prize winner had a 79-mile stretch of the Northwest Tollway named after her this year, but Baldwin said she often finds audience members know little or nothing about Addams.

Born in 1860 to a well-to-do family in Cedarville, Ill., Addams bucked social conventions of the day to start a settlement house for immigrants on Chicago's west side.

"She came from the first generation of college-educated women. For these women, it was a struggle to break from what was expected," Baldwin said.

Audiences often are startled to learn about the treatment of immigrants that Addams combated, Baldwin said.

"They're horrified by the sweatshop conditions. They're even more horrified by how young the children were who had to work," she said.

A strong leader, Addams gathered other women around her who were willing to work for change, Baldwin said, "women of the 19th century who had vision had tenacity and courage."

Rest of series

The History Speaks series takes a break in December, and resumes with monthly programs January through May.

All of the characters promise to be engaging, said museum educator Cindy Lackore, who put together the 2007-08 lineup. The series is now in its fourth year.

"They've been popular. We've developed quite a following," she said. "People are always interested (in) who we're having next year."

All of the lectures take place at the same time and location. Here's a quick look ahead:

• Henry Ford makes an appearance Jan. 13 prior to the 100th edition of the Chicago Auto Show in February. Veteran actor Terry Lynch portrays the man who hoped to have as much success in politics as he had in running the Ford Motor Company.

• Harriet Tubman freed herself from slavery and led some 300 people to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Pam Welcome gives a first-person portrayal of Tubman on Feb. 10.

• Thomas Edison discusses his phonograph, long-lasting light bulb and other inventions on March 9. As portrayed by historian and actor R.J. Lindsey, Edison is deaf and asks audience members to write down their questions.

• Thomas Jefferson arrives in time for the 265th anniversary of his birth on April 13. Phil Lauricella plays the author of the Declaration of Independence, third president of the United States and proponent of the Louisiana Purchase.

• Louisa May Alcott gained international fame for her book "Little Women." In a program May 11, actress and historian Leslie Goddard portrays the woman who also served as a nurse during the Civil War.

Individual tickets are $6, $5 for students and sustaining members of the Naperville Heritage Society. Series passes are $30 for nonmembers, $25 for students and sustaining members. Tickets and passes are available at Naper Settlement.

If you go

What:"Will Rogers Now!" part of the History Speaks lecture series

When:7 p.m. Sunday

Where:Century Memorial Chapel at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville

Cost: $6, $5 for students and sustaining members of the Naperville Heritage Society

Info:(630) 420-6010

Will Rogers quotes

A sampling of the wit and wisdom of Will Rogers:

• "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."

• "Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House?"

• "I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat."

• "Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip."

• "The best doctor in the world is the veterinarian. He can't ask his patients what is the matter -- he's just got to know."

• "There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

• "We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."

• "Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth."

• "The more you read and observe about this politics thing, you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always looks the best."

• "The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has."