Elgin book fair lures big shot

Sure it took a little bit of wooing on the part of George Rawlinson.

But in the end, the local publisher scored a major coup by securing Art Shay, a man considered to be the last century's preeminent photojournalist, for the second Elgin Author's Fair, held Sunday.

Rawlinson, the fair's organizer, said it took a lot of "badgering" to get Shay to downtown Elgin. That's because the 86-year-old, who has pointed his camera at everyone from homeless Chicagoans to Marlon Brando and Simone de Beauvoir, knew he'd be tired after just coming off a trip to Paris.

Ultimately, though, Rawlinson said it was this analogy that helped seal the deal:

"I said, 'Well, Eiffel tower, Tower Building,'" Rawlinson said, referring to the tallest building in Elgin.

Shay, whose images have graced more than 1,000 covers, quietly held court at a center table throughout the three-hour fair, talking to customers about everything including baseball and advice he gave Brando about women in 1951.

Shay, author of "Chicago's Nelson Algren," said the movie star, who he photographed in Libertyville for Life magazine, asked how he could tell if a woman was with him for love or to bolster her own career.

Shay's advice?

"I said it's very difficult to distinguish between the two, but usually you find out on the second date," he recalled.

As the fair's headliner, Shay was also joined by roughly a dozen local and regional talents for the event that kicks off preservation month in Elgin.

They included Steve Stroud and Bill Briska, a pair of Elgin historians; Marlin Keesler of Streamwood, who wrote about running 50 marathons in 50 states to keep his autism-stricken family together; and Heather Haneman, a Chicago backup dancer whose tome focuses on her time performing with drag queens.

"It's definitely an edgier topic; some people are a little afraid of it," Haneman said.

The event happened at Elgin Public House and drew between 100 and 150 people in the first hour, Rawlinson said.

"It's awfully nice having something like this," said Joe Follrath, a downtown Elgin merchant. "I love to read."