That's the mausoleum for Roland Burris, age 71, still alive. It carries the Illinois state seal and says, in letters etched deep into the stone, "Trail Blazer." Then it lists the positions he's held, including serving as the African-American attorney general and comptroller in Illinois. There's an adjacent stone listing "Other Major Accomplishments." Michael Schulman called up Drew Dernavich, who engraves tombstones, and asked him if this is normal behavior. "It’s something that people do, but I’ve never seen something that’s this egocentric," replied Dernavich. "Many people buy their stones ahead of time; the industry term is 'pre-need.'...But I’ve never seen anything like this. It seems like a résumé."But it does help explain Burris. A Senate seat is a prize, no doubt, but it's rather less of one if you secured it by abetting a political criminal's desire to obscure his guilt by sparking a racial showdown. Burris, however, is taking the long view. The mausoleum view. Eventually, "United States Senator" will be etched beneath "Trail Blazer." And there will be no asterisk, no explanation of the conditions. Burris will see to that. He'll write it down himself. TAKING THE LONG VIEW.
That's the mausoleum for Roland Burris, age 71, still alive. It carries the Illinois state seal and says, in letters etched deep into the stone, "Trail Blazer." Then it lists the positions he's held, including serving as the African-American attorney general and comptroller in Illinois. There's an adjacent stone listing "Other Major Accomplishments." Michael Schulman called up Drew Dernavich, who engraves tombstones, and asked him if this is normal behavior. "It’s something that people do, but I’ve never seen something that’s this egocentric," replied Dernavich. "Many people buy their stones ahead of time; the industry term is 'pre-need.'...But I’ve never seen anything like this. It seems like a résumé."But it does help explain Burris. A Senate seat is a prize, no doubt, but it's rather less of one if you secured it by abetting a political criminal's desire to obscure his guilt by sparking a racial showdown. Burris, however, is taking the long view. The mausoleum view. Eventually, "United States Senator" will be etched beneath "Trail Blazer." And there will be no asterisk, no explanation of the conditions. Burris will see to that. He'll write it down himself. 
