Sewn in Memory: Patrick Danen and Robert (Bobby) Rodgers

Patrick "Pat" Danen and Robert "Bobby" Rodgers were lovers and partners living on Bobby's family farm in Ivesdale, Illinois. Pat was originally from Wisconsin and owned a furniture shop, Pat's Stripping, in Mahomet, Illinois. Bobby farmed corn and soybeans as well as garden vegetables which he gave to others. The two partners died of AIDS within months of each other. According to a family member, Bobby's family did not recognize his and Pat's relationship. Their Catholic upbringing made that impossible for them. Pat died in 1986 and is buried in Stetonville, Wisconsin. Bobby died in 1987 and is buried in Ivesdale. In this video, acquaintance, Jim Wuersch, and close friend, Rick Ackerman, remember the two men.

These videos commemorate men who died from AIDS in central Illinois in the 1980s and 1990s as told through stories from their friends and family.  They are produced by the University of Illinois Department of Journalism and Illinois Public Media as part of Sewn in Memory: AIDS Quilt Panels from Central Illinois, a community-curated exhibit created for the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures in 2021 in collaboration with the Greater Community AIDS Project of East Central Illinois (GCAP) and the Department of History at the University of Illinois.