Anthos, Andrew M.

Andrew Marshall "Buddy" Anthos was born in Detroit on February 19, 1935. Sadly, he died just four days after his 72nd birthday, in 2007, the tragic result of a hate-crime attack in downtown Detroit. During his lifetime, Mr. Anthos enjoyed many hobbies, including collecting materials from the movies Somewhere in Time and Titanic. His main focus, however, was a dream of having the Michigan Capitol Dome in Lansing displayed with red, white and blue lights at least once a year. To this end, he devoted countless hours campaigning for his pet project. Mr. Anthos wrote hundreds of letters to prominent people around the world, seeking endorsements for his proposal. Of these correspondents, many responded, and this collection contains autographed letters of actors, politicians, university presidents, media personalities and authors from all over the country. Though he had numerous supporters, and received thousands of signatures encouraging his project, Mr. Anthos never lived to see his dream realized. In his obituary, Detroit Free Press reporter Desiree Cooper lauded Andrew Anthos as an "unlikely champion..." who deserved to have the capitol dome lit up "...to honor what Anthos in his death, has come to symbolize: the patriotic ideals of peace, inclusion and tolerance."