With the recent opening of the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinoisans are again reminded of the impact this great man had on our state, our country and our world. Without Abraham Lincoln, where would we as a nation be today? Thankfully, there’s no answer to that question.

However, there’s already more than enough Abraham acclamation in Illinois. Everywhere you look, it’s Lincoln Hall-this and Lincoln Park-that. And don’t even get me started with all the Lincoln Avenues, Drives, Streets and Boulevards. To an unknowing visitor, it might seem like Honest Abe was the only person ever to live here.

Yet there are still many who feel these tributes are not enough to honor the most famous and beloved person our state has ever produced. In fact, one man in particular, Jim Nowlan, the University’s director of the civic leadership fellows program, recently wrote an article in the Chicago Tribune proposing we change our name to “State of Abraham Lincoln.”

After reading this in the first paragraph, I asked myself if this guy was serious.

Then I read the second paragraph, which succinctly yet effectively answered my question.

“I’m serious.”

Well there you have it. Mr. Nowlan, thank you for presenting what is unquestionably the dumbest idea I have ever heard in my entire life. And let me just say, from the people I’ve associated with in my 22-plus years of existence, I’ve heard some doozies. It was bad enough when Major League Baseball’s Anaheim Angels changed its name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but this one takes the cake. Thankfully, Nowlan’s idea is so outlandish that we probably won’t have to worry about it coming to fruition.

I’m not saying Lincoln wasn’t a great man, or that he doesn’t deserve many of his accolades. He is undeniably the most famous and important person to ever live in our state. But, there is more to Illinois than Abraham Lincoln, folks.

For instance, was I the only one disappointed to see Lincoln’s picture and nothing else when we got new license plates a few years ago? Although, I suppose they could be worse – with pictures of Gov. Blagojevich instead.

Chicago has the most beautiful skyline in the world and is also one of the most diverse cities in the world. Why not play off that a bit? Now, before all you downstaters get your undies in bundles, there’s plenty the land outside the collar counties brings to the table as well. Illinois is one of the nation’s leading soybean and corn producers, one of the nation’s powerhouses in overall agricultural exports and America’s leader in ethanol production. Plus, our western border is defined by this little river that unfortunately seems to be associated more with our neighbor to the southwest than it is with us. Damn you, Mark Twain.

Our state quarter features pictures of the skyline, a farm, the outline of the state and, yes, Abraham Lincoln. The first three ideas are good, but Lincoln already has the penny and the five-dollar bill – to himself!

There are other famous individuals from Illinois, too: Two-time Presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson was born in Bloomington and lived just down the road from where I grew up. Marlon Brando attended my high school and Vince Vaughn lived in the town where I was born. Granted, Vaughn is no Lincoln or Stevenson, but these are just a few of the people who lived within a five-mile radius of me. Some other famous Illinoisans include Walt Disney, William Jennings Bryan, Ernest Hemingway, Betty Friedan, Ulysses S. Grant, Jane Addams, Miles Davis, Ronald Reagan and Michael Jordan.

Abe definitely deserves some dap, but Illinois is a state consisting of more than one person. A modest man like Lincoln probably wouldn’t want the state to be named after him anyway. But if you want to go ahead with “State of Chris Kozak” go right ahead.