Making friends is an easy exercise and everyone can achieve it with little effort. However, maintaining friendship calls for discipline, dedication, and commitment from both parties.
Now imagine maintaining a close friend dearly for more than 65 years! This is certainly the epitome of tolerance and love.
John Mace and Richard Adrian Dorr met at Juilliard 65 years ago and they have never parted ways since then. Their relationship blossomed from an ordinary one to a romantic one quite fast. The two have been on the fore-front in advocating for same-sex marriage in the US.
However, Mace reveals that they have never married officially but they live together and occassionally have romantic escapades.
Their decision to publicly campaign for gay rights paid off when New York passed a bill to allow same-sex relationships. They described the experience as epic as they vividly recalled the long hug they had after receiving the news.
The two met in the 1940s when being gay was generally unacceptable. However, the barriers set by the society did not prevent them from engaging in a romantic relationship albeit discreetly.
Mace loves singing and he has taught music in many institutions in the US before joining the Army. Dorr was brought up by his foster mother and was initially named Richard Prahl. His mother nurtured his music passion until he started singing in different entertainment places. When he got 40, he changed his name to Richard Adrian Dorr.
After high school, Dorr matriculated at Holy Cross College and thereafter joined the Navy where he served as the medical corp. After World War, he worked as a radio announcer.
In 1948, he enrolled at Juilliard where he met his friend and lover, Mace. Their love for music keeps them together. Up to date, they have music students (about 8 for Dorr and 12 for Mace).
However, they acknowledge that their relationship has had some difficult episodes but they easily maneuvered due to their accommodative and understanding nature.
