Getting Acquainted
PO BOX 750
Madison WI 53701
(608) 256-5800
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Website: www.ffrf.org
Freethought Hall
FREETHOUGHT HALL in Madison, Wisconsin, which serves as the national offices of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, was purchased in 1990 with the generous gifts of hundreds of members. One of the oldest buildings in downtown Madison, it houses the elegant Blanche Fearn reception room and the handsome Elizabeth Elliott library of more than two thousand freethought books.
The sandstone structure was built as a family home in 1855. Its first known owner was an entrepreneur who had taken part in the California gold rush and later operated business in Wisconsin. Another early owner was a church! The building became a rectory for 20 years in the late 1880s.
In the 1940s the pioneer home was remodeled as a clinic with physicians placing an addition on the front of the building. A series of commercial ventures occupied the building in recent years until its cash purchase by the Foundation.
Who We Are
DAN BARKER is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. A former minister and evangelist, Dan became a freethinker in 1983. His books, Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children and Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher To Atheist are published by the Foundation. A graduate of Azusa Pacific University with a degree in Religion, Dan now puts his knowledge of Christianity to effective freethought use. A professional pianist and composer, Dan performs freethought concerts and is featured in the Foundation's musical cassettes, "My Thoughts Are Free," "Reason's Greetings," "Dan Barker Salutes Freethought Then And Now," a 2-CD album "Friendly Neighborhood Atheist," and the new CD "Beware of Dogma." He joined the Foundation staff in 1987 and served as public relations director. He was elected co-president in November 2004. |
ANNIE LAURIE GAYLOR, co-president, is also editor of Freethought Today, published 10 times a year by the Foundation. Her book, Woe To The Women: The Bible Tells Me So, first published in 1981, is now in its 4th printing. In 1988, the Foundation published her book, Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children, the first book documenting widespread sexual abuse by clergy. Her 1997 book, Women Without Superstition: 'No Gods, No Masters'is the first collection of the writings of historic and contemporary women freethinkers. A 1980 graduate of the UW-Madison Journalism School, she was an award-winning student reporter and recipient of the Ken Purdy scholarship. After graduation, she founded, edited and published the Feminist Connection,a monthly advocacy newspaper, from 1980-1985. She joined the Foundation staff in 1985. |
ANNE NICOL GAYLOR is a founder and president emerita of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. She served as executive director from 1978 to 2005, and is now working as a consultant to the Foundation. Born in rural Wisconsin, she is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She owned and managed successful small businesses and was co-owner and editor of an award-winning suburban weekly newspaper. A feminist author, she has done substantial volunteer work for women's rights (including serving as volunteer director of the Women's Medical Fund). Under her leadership the Freedom From Religion Foundation has grown from its initial three Wisconsin members to a national group with representation in every state and Canada.
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NORA CUSACK is Executive Assistant of the Foundation. Born in Pennsylvania, raised in California and New York, she arrived in Madison in 1969 to attend the University of Wisconsin. In 1978, Nora and a business partner founded a graphic arts firm and operated it for 18 years. After they sold the successful business in 1996, Nora began work as a community volunteer for a variety of causes and organizations. She was a reading tutor for disadvantaged students in a public elementary school three days a week for seven years, and served in officer positions on five non-profit boards, including FFRF. Nora assumed her current position with FFRF in 2004. She has been happily married to Madison photographer Brent Nicastro since 1973. |
Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, helps givers make intelligent decisions by providing in-depth ratings and analysis of the financial health of America's largest charities. Charity Navigator awarded the Freedom From Religion Foundation four out of a possible four stars: "FFRF has demonstrated exceptional financial health, outperforming most of its peers in managing its finances in the most fiscally responsible way possible."
Read letter from Charity Navigator.
| FFRF is a member of the Secular Coalition for America. |