CHICAGO — IML founder Chuck Renslow was honored with a street dedication on Saturday, May 19, the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago.
Clark Street between Argyle and Winnemac was renamed Chuck Renslow Way. That stretch of Clark was also the site of both the Chicago Eagle and Mans Country. In the coming months, it will become the home of the Renslow Lofts, a condo development on the site of Mans Country.
Renslow’s partner Ron Ehemann spoke to the crowd gathered at the corner of Clark and Winnemac, a couple doors north of the old Chicago Eagle entrance and where Full Kit Leather now stands. He spoke about Chuck’s life and how he approached life. Ehemann also announced the first two recipient of the Thou Will Art Award, named after a phrase Renslow used when asked what needed to be done or where someone wanted to go in the community. The first recipients were Chicago LGBTQ activist Lori F. Cannon and Windy City Times publisher Tracy Baim, who also co-wrote Chuck Renslow’s autobiography “Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow.”
A reception followed at Full Kit after the dedication.
