Correcting Historical Truths: Exposing Purposeful Deceptions.

By Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Founder, Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™

Setting the Record Straight

I don’t just write about history—I interrogate it. One of the most important aspects of my work is correcting purposeful distortions and myths that have been perpetuated over time. When I uncover these fabrications, I feel a responsibility to challenge them with evidence, clarity, and integrity.

The Pabst “Blue Ribbon” Myth

A prime example is my investigation into the long-standing falsehood surrounding Pabst Brewing Company’s claim that it won the “Blue Ribbon” at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Through careful research and documentation, I demonstrated that this claim was a marketing invention—not a historical fact.

My article on this topic has helped reshape public understanding and has been cited by historians and educators seeking to clarify the truth.

Why This Matters

• Historical integrity: My work ensures that myths don’t become accepted truths simply through repetition.

• Public trust: Readers rely on me to separate fact from fiction, especially when corporate or cultural narratives distort the past.

• Educational value: Correcting these stories provides teachable moments for students and scholars alike, reinforcing the importance of source-based research.

SIDEBAR INSIGHT: “Humans have pushed up temperatures so far that they risk triggering a series of climate 'tipping points,' which would bring catastrophic changes and could be irreversible on human timescales.”                                 — Cable News Network (CNN), October 13, 2025 — 

My Approach to Truth Stewardship

I treat every article as an opportunity to:

• Investigate claims with skepticism and rigor.

• Cross-reference primary sources, archival materials, and contemporaneous accounts.

• Present findings in a way that’s both accessible and academically sound.

This commitment to truth-telling is a cornerstone of my authorship and a defining feature of the Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™. It’s not just about storytelling—it’s about truth stewardship.

Broader Mission and Legacy

My work reaches over 86 million readers and serves as a model for historical integrity, educational impact, and creative legacy-building. I’ve been honored with The Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2021).

Beyond historical correction, I channel my lived experience into communal celebration—transforming my personal archive of 5,000+ Chicago postcards into digital exhibits and wearable art. My storytelling blends satire, emotional truth, and archival rigor to honor legacy businesses, family rituals, and cultural heritage.

Development Goals

• Showcase my masterclass in authorship and historical stewardship.

• Integrate historical corrections (like the Pabst myth) into my portfolio to demonstrate public trust and educational value.

• Publish Star Trek ~ Temporal Reckoning ~ The Furnace of Time, including cover art, preface, and concept documents. A mythic sci-fi chronicle that explores truth, memory, and legacy across fractured timelines, challenging historical distortions through cosmic reckoning and emotional clarity.

• Build a mythic archive of communal rituals, tributes, and creative artifacts that celebrate legacy, healing, and friendship.

Remembering Andrea Sax.

Unless you lived in Skokie or Morton Grove, Illinois, in 1977, 

ANDREA SAX

have a daughter born around 1961, or are you at 'that' age? The events of November 6th are probably not in your memory.

On November 6, 1977, for those who fit the criteria, Andrea Sax, a 16-year-old Niles West High School student, was brutally stabbed to death. The cause of death was 26 stab wounds to the neck and chest with perforation and laceration of the carotid artery and the aorta.

It's hard to believe 49 years have passed, and yet her three younger sisters are all older than Andrea ever was. The murderers of Susan Clark, who preceded Andrea in death, and of the two Morton Grove girls who were found in St. Paul Woods in Morton Grove about a year later, have not yet been found. 

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE MURDER

Sixteen-year-old Andrea Sax (my girlfriend) was stabbed to death on Sunday, November 6, 1977. Her body was found the next morning outside a school in neighboring Skokie, Illinois, next to a police station, where she was possibly attempting to run. Her Murderer was a classmate, Randall Kraman, whom she went to meet that night "just to hang out" with a friend. The savagery of the attack - 26 stab wounds - one piercing the aorta, plus evidence that showed premeditation, led to his being tried as an adult. In fact, his phone call at about 10:30 PM that night, asking where "Andy" was (a nickname only Randall Kraman used) began the nightmare that had never ended. He had already murdered her and was setting up an alibi! 

After court hearings that lasted approximately 10 months, the case was brought to trial, which lasted 5.5 weeks, from jury selection to verdict. It was now November 1978, one year later.

 

Sentenced to 16-20 years, we were told he would serve 11 years 8 months, but a change in Illinois' Class X Laws allowed him his freedom in fewer years than half of his minimum sentence. 

After his release, we know he moved to California. Rumor has it he later moved to New York City, where he became a Rabbi! God help us all!

ABOUT MY GIRLFRIEND, ANDREA SAX.

Andrea Sax and I dated the entire summer of 1977. I met her in '76 at the "Chai Club" (Chai [Hebrew] means "LIFE" in English as in "L'Chaim" meaning "To Life"; a famous drinking toast - or as we kids wrote it, ("Hi-Club"), which was a high school-age social club from Temple Beth El, located on Touhy at Kedzie (next door to the McDonald's). 

We were close friends, but not in an exclusive relationship. Just before school started in September (I attended Mather HS, Chicago, and Andrea attended Niles West), we discussed hanging out together. We saw each other several times, but only at Chai Club events in September.

Andrea Sax was a loving girl with a big heart. She was always willing to help anyone in need. The kind of person who gives their last dollar. Her parents were awesome, too. I was over many times for dinner and to hang out. 

I attended the funeral service. I just couldn't bring myself to go to the Sax's home while they were sitting Shiva (Shiva, literally means "seven" in Hebrew), which is the week-long mourning period in Judaism for first-degree relatives: father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, and spouse. The ritual is referred to as "sitting shiva." I sent them a Beautiful, Giant-sized sympathy arrangement. (350 flowers)

I hadn't nurtured any new female friendships at my H.S. after that.

Thinking of Andrea, all the old feelings of sadness and anger (towards Randall, whom I did not know) and the senseless loss of a dear friend have resurfaced.

When My Prom Came, I took Andrea's best friend to my prom at the Playboy Tower, Chicago. Yes, it really happened. I found it difficult to enjoy. Tracy didn't seem to enjoy herself either. It was our depressed moods that ruined the night.

I didn't date from the time of Andrea's death until Junior year in College. And even then, dating was difficult. 

By Neil Gale, Ph.D.