May 10, 2008

Dear Brian "Fox" Ellis,

I can't thank you enough for the wonderful performance of John James Audubon. It made me want to get out my biographies of Audubon and do some reading. What an interesting man he was. In my 31 years of teaching I've seen many performers like you but few that could match your talent and connection to the audience.

Thanks Again!
Cheryl Modzelewski
Recreation Specialist
US Army Corps of Engineers
Lake Shelbyville, Il

Brian “Fox” Ellis did a superb interpretation of John James Audubon for our Friends of Audubon annual luncheon. He is a very accomplished actor who is able to do an authentic interpretation of Audubon that is both informative and highly entertaining. His artistic and historical research is impeccable and permeates the whole of his presentation. The Friends group was thrilled with his program and requested that he be scheduled again for a future program. Please feel free to contact me for a verbal reference or for more details.

L. Alan Gehret, Curator,
John James Audubon Museum,
John James Audubon State Park
3100 US Highway 41 North
Henderson, KY 42419-0576
Telephone: 270-826-2247

Dear Fox, (or should I say Mr. Audubon? ;)

Thank you for an outstanding performance and all the hours of research you put into the presentation. You did a beautiful job and used many very effective devices to engage your audience. I was impressed that most of your audience, which was largely adults, chose to remain after the program to talk with you. Many people came up to me later to thank me for booking you, ask more about you, and inquire about books on Audubon. So pat yourself on the back my friend.

You had asked about tweeking the performance for the school kids; I think you pretty much had it. Doing the owl calls, then having the audience do it was great. (You're very good at that by the way.) I liked the Seneca legend near the end, it was very interactive which was important. Playing the game of having the audience identify the birds described and call upon their own memories of observation was brilliant and contributed to the success of the presentation.

Overall there were many fine and strong messages in the presentation. It beautifully covered the fact that our environment and nature's residents are greatly altered from what they were in Audubon's time. The passenger pigeon discussion and your disbelief when the audience told you they'd never seen them or the Carolina Parakeet made me tear-up, despite the fact that I knew that would be in the presentation. You were Audubon to me at this point and you seemed not only concerned but sincerely disturbed and personally hurt that their disappearance had occurred. It was a profound dramatic moment at that point. I felt a responsibility and disappointment that my ancestors might have contributed to their demise! I even thought I saw similar feelings register on other people's faces. One member of the audience -- Ann Doolen, a professor from Illinois College at Jacksonville, expressed the same thought to me at the end of the show. Her exact words were "My gosh, I could see him as Audubon!”

Your observations of bird behavior and adaptations fit in well with science curriculum. But my very favorite parts were the humanist messages -- moral and otherwise that illustrated what we all inevitably must experience. These are the types of things that are of interest to me personally.

So, for what it's worth those are my thoughts. I'm proud of you and privileged to know you. We'll talk soon about bringing this program to a wider audience. Our grant through the USFWS has been approved.

Julie Barr
Education Coordinator
Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown, IL 61542
Phone 309-547-3721 Fax 309-547-3189

Reviews via e-mail after the USFWS funded tour of John James Audubon Fall 2003:

Our high school group very much enjoyed the presentation on James Audubon as told by Brian "Fox" Ellis. This cross-curricular program brought together Science, Art, English and Social Studies in a single informative and entertaining atmosphere.

The storyteller did a great job of relating to junior high and high school students. He had a good mix of humor and animation which kept their attention well. He led an entire junior high and high school body through a scientific investigation in a matter of minutes. The group formulated a hypothesis, tested it, and then concluded about the results. It was a great way to reinforce scientific thought as well as gain some new knowledge about a very common species: the barn owl.

The students seemed to really enjoy the bird-call portion of the presentation. Most students were able to recognize the various calls although not brave enough to speak up. The crow call definitely woke up anyone who had let their attention wander!

One of the most important aspects presented was thinking "outside the box". A feather is not just a trinket to pick up on the ground. What can we learn from the bird other than a mere identification of the species? The presenter emphasized the importance of asking questions and wondering about a topic beyond what is directly visible. This is important in all areas of learning, not only science. We appreciate the supplements including lesson plans that can further extend the presentation. The web-site gave some great ideas for many different areas of curriculum as well as scientific facts and resources. Beardstown Junior/Senior High School would like to thank you for your performance. Thank you very much.

Judy Fitzgerald – Principal - Beardstown High School

Hi "Fox",

You can find photos of your visit to Dirksen Primary School, along with a link to your site at this URL HERE Thank you for an enjoyable and informative program.

Kathy Schlappi - Learning Center
Dirksen Primary School

First of all, let me thank you on behalf of all our third through fifth graders who thoroughly enjoyed your presentation as John Audubon at Illini Bluffs Elementary School on Sept. 17. Since we spend a great deal of time in third grade learning about native Illinois animals, your presentation was especially relevant for our students. It was wonderful to see how much the fourth and fifth graders remembered from what we had taught them in previous years. The third graders are just beginning to learn, and you whetted their appetites even further!

We have had bird feeders outside our third grade windows for about 10 years. The children are used to watching birds with the binoculars and are excited when a new species arrives. Your presentation encouraged them to really spend time studying each bird or critter that they see! It is one of my personal goals to have all children enjoy nature and do whatever they can to help protect and nurture it.

I feel that it is very important for the children to hear about the importance of nature from other sources besides the teachers. It becomes so much more meaningful then. Thank you once again for adding us to your program schedule!

Sincerely, Joyce Mitchell, Third Grade Teacher
Illini Bluffs Elementary School, Glasford, IL 61533

Dear Mr. Ellis,

I wanted to thank you for your excellent job interpreting the life of John James Audubon. We especially enjoyed the direct connections you made with our river, the Illinois River Valley. You seamlessly drew stories, science, and local interest into one enormous story tent for the students to gather under! I also liked that many academic standards that were introduced to students. We followed your advice; I encouraged students to participate in record keeping and data collection for science project through Cornell University. We also surfed some of the internet links you provided on your web page. It was simply amazing the way you drew from state learning goals to make the work relevant to our second grade studies. For example, you included information about how living things relate to their environment (i.e. eagles migrate from Canada to our river valley to rest during the winter). Thank you for a wonderful program! We hope to see you again, soon!

Earle Capel, South School, Second Grade, Chillicothe, Illinois

Dear Mr. Ellis,

I am writing to thank you for all you did to help make the First Annual Audubon Birding Festival a success. Your performance as John James Audubon was not only entertaining, but also educational.

The response from participants was very positive. Some of their comments were, "Wonderful, whimisical, informative, fun entertaining". "Fascinating. Made me want to read books about Audubon although I hadn't been particularly interested in his life". "Very entertaining and knowledgeable". "Incredible depth of knowledge".

Additionally, your participation as John James Audubon during our morning birding hike and the Bird Is The Word journaling class, were both very well received. Your ability to work with people in a variety of settings is commendable and I will definitely recommend you to others who may be looking for a dynamic and professional speaker/presenter.

Kate Crowley, Special Events Coordinator, Audubon Center of the North Woods