America has lost quite the citizen. Former Rep. Larry McKeon of Illinois died after suffering a stroke.

Despite his scant sixty-three years, McKeon, who was his state's first openly gay politician, had a resume that reads like an American dream:

An Army veteran and former lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, McKeon came to Chicago in the 1980s to pursue a degree in social service administration.

He worked as a director at United Charities and became involved with gay activist groups, leading to his run for political office. In 1992, he was hired as executive director of the Chicago Human Rights Commission's Advisory Council on Gay and Lesbian Issues.

McKeon was elected to the House in 1996 by voters in what was then the North Side’s 34th District. During that campaign, he acknowledged being HIV-positive.

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