In 2000, I was lucky enough to meet and write about Stanford James, a young man from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago who has autism–and the extraordinary ability of a photographic memory. As a child, he loved to ride on the city’s CTA trains–trains seemed to be the only thing that calmed him down. His wonderful mom, Dorothy, would take him on the trains–she loved them herself. Eventually–amazingly–Stanford committed the entire transit map of the Chicago area to his memory. And Dorothy always managed to get Stanford into the right programs and the right schools. When he graduated form high school, Stanford got placed into a program that matched him with exactly the right job–giving folks transit directions over the phone for the Chicago-area Regional Transportation System (RTA). In his second year, Stanford won RTA Employee of the Year. Even though he can’t comb his own hair …
Bill Clements
From as far back as he can remember, Bill has been listening to and telling stories. He loves talking with people, hearing about their lives and then making something memorable with what results. He’s spent 30 years in Chicago and the Twin Cities as a journalist writing stories for publications including Chicago magazine, the Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine and Finance and Commerce. A graduate of Columbia University, Bill has long loved taking still photos. About 10 years ago (on the side, at first), Bill grew fascinated with the possibilities of storytelling through video-making. He is thrilled to be combining his longtime love of people and words and stories with his newer passion for capturing it all on video. Plus, for better or worse, Bill is a staunch, lifelong Cubs fan.