Member Name: Charles Rubino
Location: Hanson MA
Beard Type (style): Full Beard
Member since:I would say I'm the Godfather of Bearduary since I started with just a mustache in the late 60's and went to the full beard shortly after that and never looked back.

Do you feel like you are treated different with a beard (by:girlfriend/boyfriends, the public, your pets etc)?
I don't think I am. Fortunately my wife likes my beard. Generally she's not into beards.

Who are your beard heroes?
I would say Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill of ZZ Top. Those are the best two beards I have ever seen.

As a long time Beardo, have you noticed any changes in Beards over the years? What was the popular style in the 1970s?
I would say the beards in the 70's were bushier and more out of control especially in the early 70's Since then men seem to take care of their beards with all the different styles you now see. Big Papi (Dave Ortiz) is a good example.

Any words of wisdom for your fellow members?
Never be afraid to try something different. You only go this way once. So, make the best of it.

Member Name: Robert Ruggiero
Location: Up in the Bronx
Beard Type (style): Magic in the middle, trim on the side.
Member since: Before it even started

Do you feel like you are treated different with a beard (by:girlfriend/boyfriends, the public, your pets etc)?
Women always like the beard better, I'm sort of pretty without it. As for pets and the general public: You establish dominance much faster when you have a beard.

Who are your beard heroes?
My dad, Lincoln, Darwin, any angry and wrathful god, everybody who made the the bronze age happen, 15-year-old me for growing a goatee in 1990 even though I'd never seen it done (see figure above).

In your studies have you noticed any genetic differences between bearded and shorn men?
It's not really a matter of genetics, it's a matter of style.

Could a beard exist at the molecular level?
DNA methylation is sort of like a beard. A mature DNA helix is decorated with methyl groups, each one being sort of like a hair on the face of the DNA. When DNA replicates the helix spits into two strands that will serve as templates to be copied, and the presence of methyl groups tells the cell which strands are the originals (i.e. the beard tells everybody who's the OG).

Any words of wisdom for your fellow members?
Just trust the beard and ignore all the cliché reasons not to have one: The beard is itchy? No, your beard just isn't long enough--grow out the beard and the itching goes way. Your girlfriend/wife won't like it? No, she'll love it or you'll get a new girlfriend/wife. You drink too much? No, you drink just enough. Shaving makes your beard grow in thicker? No, not shaving makes your beard grow in thicker.
Just trust the beard.

Member Name:Cornelius Maher
Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Beard Type (style): Full Growth
Member since:The beginning

Do you feel like you are treated different with a beard (by:girlfriend/boyfriends, the public, your pets etc)?
Absolutely. You know who grows beards? Men. With a beard you are treated like a man.

Who are your beard heroes?
Karl Marx. Tim Harrington. Billy Gibbons.

Does a burly beard aid or hinder getting a dance party started, while DJing? Explain your reasons why?
Oh. The beard is a firestarter. When the party looks up and sees a full beautiful beard behind the decks, they know they are in the capable hands of a real man. Beards are for grown ups, and they make people think about doing other grown up stuff.

Any words of wisdom for your fellow members?
A gentleman grows a winter beard. I am no gentleman, but I can look like one every winter.

Member Name:Michael Buchino
Location: Portland, Oregon
Beard Type (style): Freestyle
Member since:Had a beard since: 2001 (with lacunas in 2004 and 2009 for handlebar moustachery)

Do you feel like you are treated different with a beard (by:girlfriend/boyfriends, the public, your pets etc)?
Men and women have crossed busy streets and crowded bars to compliment my beard. I've only had one negative reaction to it from the fairer sex. And my friend has a cat who likes to sniff it suspiciously, then give it a chomp or two.

Who are your beard heroes?
My father, George Harrison and the founders of Portland, Oregon, Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove.

Beard Revue has been around for 2 years now. Who was your most challenging review? Explain your reasons why?
Hitler was a tough one. And you can see that I struggle with it throughout the review. As a graphic designer, strong branding is important to me. The man branded everything so scrupulously with the Nazi party he even created his own brand. That moustache infamously carries a lot of meaning in an area just larger than a square inch. Michael's Review of Hitler.

Any words of wisdom for your fellow members?
Use your beard for good. If you're feeling saucy, try a Franz Josef—that style is awesome. Straws are your friends, ice cream cones are not.

Member Name:Ted Donnelly
Location: Providence R.I.
Beard Type (style): Full on!
Member since:Year 2-2006

Do you feel like you are treated different with a beard (by:girlfriend/boyfriends, the public, your pets etc)?
My daughters hate the scratchiness; but I get a 50/50 reaction from others. Some say I look good and "Distinquished" and others say I look better and younger without it (Guess it is all the greys and whites!)

Who are your beard heroes?
My brother (I remember vividly seeing the 2005 beard for the first time at Penn Station-surreal!), My uncles Jimmy and Paul had some wicked beards back in the 70's, Kevin Youkilis, Grizzly Adams and Jesus (at least that is what the paintings show)

In 2010 you are raising money for "The Race for Grace", please describe the charity?
The Race For Grace is a fundraising event to raise funds for research for Rett Syndrome, which Grace Reddington suffers from. I find the disease, in reading about it, has similarities to what afflicted my mother with PSP, except that Grace is 5 years old. Take a look at Grace's picture, that smile brightens even the worst day. Grace's mom let us know that this will be the last year for the walk-a-thon or race for Grace, so I want to try and make it the best!

Side question: Which action attains grace quicker, running or growing a beard?
I hate to admit it; but running seems to attain grace quicker as you have the itchy phase and then the food stuck in the beard phase with growing a beard which is followed by the beer foam stuck in beard phase, all of which is not so graceful.

Any words of wisdom for your fellow members?
Grow long, grow far, grow straight!

Member Name:Craig A. Platt
Location: Los Angeles
Beard Type (style): Landscaper / Folk Singer / Mountain Man
Member since:I think since the beginning

Do you feel like you are treated different with a beard (by:girlfriend/boyfriends, the public, your pets etc)?
It goes in waves, the first stage people think you just look messy, then they get into the beard, and by the end of bearduary it gets completely out of hand. I go for the completely unshaven meaning a razor will not touch my face until March 1st. Hence, by then end, no one wants to go out in public with me, especially not my girlfriend. She'll stay a few steps away from me when we go to the movies, etc... You just start to look like a mad man.

Who are your beard heroes?
Cat Stevens, Happy Gilmore's Caddy, The Piano player from The Band and Walt Whitman

In Los Angeles is there overwhelming pressure on men to copy the beard styles of celebrities? If so who's the most influential beard in Hollywood?
I don't know if there's pressure, but certainly Brad Pitt's beard has been all the rage this year. Celebrity beards are rarely a dictator of beard style for me personally. It's more a result of my ennui.

Any words of wisdom for your fellow members?
Just keep at it. A beard becomes another member of the household. It influences what you eat, how you dress, even what music you decide to listen to. It's a state of mind and you need to just listen to your beard.

Member Name:Vince Trotter
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Beard Type (style): Full-facial
Member since:2007

Do you feel like you are treated different with a beard (by:girlfriend/boyfriends, the public, your pets etc)?
My wife occasionally uses the word "professorial" to describe my beard -- or, more specifically, the gray IN my beard. I choose to believe that this is intended as a compliment and maintain the facial hair year-round. As for the rest of my fellow inhabitants of this fair, blue marble, I would have to say that I have noticed some animals express a strange affinity -- a certain brotherhood, perhaps -- for me and my beard. Specifically, a Brussels-Griffon named Bruno, a Brazilian Mastiff named Duke and most recently, two donkeys named Blackjack and Flapjack. The word "nuzzle" generally figures in the encounter.
Next week, I will audition for a Disney remake of the film Dr. Doolittle set in New York City.

Who are your beard heroes?
First and foremost, my father, whose beard was my earliest and most inspiring example of facial hair. I still aspire to his level of quality. After that, the entire male cast of the 1984 made-for-TV production of A Christmas Carol. (Check out Edward Woodward as The Ghost of Christmas Present.)

You were the largest single money raiser from Bearduary '09, bringing in $1376.00 for JustFood. How did "The Dr. Watson" change your outlook on facial hair?
The clothes make the man ...and the beard. Dr. Watson really shone when I wore outfits reminiscent of the 19th century, and every guy should consider his own beard each morning when he selects the day's attire. How does your face speak to you?

Any words of wisdom for your fellow members?
As if it even needed to be said -- Always use your beard for good. Never for evil..