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Adoption records opened Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Any day now, Michael Horn expects to find out when his birthday is � as well as the identity of his biological parents. Horn, who lives in the Applegate, is one of some 2,200 adopted Oregonians who�ve filed with the state to get copies of their birth certificates. Law takes effect today, and Southern Oregonians among those awaiting birth certificates By Dani Dodge APPLEGATE � Michael Horn has waited more than 30 years for one small piece of paper he believes will make his life complete: his birth certificate. The 46-year-old Applegate man has wonderful kids. An "awesome" wife. But he has no clue to his parentage. "I didn�t really know I was adopted until I was 15," Horn said Tuesday. "My quote father unquote said to me that I wasn�t his son � that my dad died in prison and I would too. "Ever since then I was like, Who am I? Where am I from? Do I have brothers or sisters? Do I have a name?" That information has been elusive. Although Oregon voters approved a measure in 1998 that allowed adult adoptees to see their birth certificates, opponents of the measure have been fighting the disclosures in court. Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O�Connor declined to keep the law from going into effect. That cleared the way for more than 2,200 adoptees currently on file with the state Health Division to get their certificates. The certificates include the name of the adoptees� biological parents. To those adoptees who have requested them, the Health Division will put birth certificates in the mail over the next six weeks or so. Even people from warm and loving adoptive families are interested in their heritage, said Melynda Schrader, 34, of Grants Pass. The mother of five children wants to know if there are diseases that run in her family. She�d like to know where her grandparents came from. "I have a wonderful family. They are very supportive and have always been there for me," Schrader said. "But I�ve always felt different and want to know the story of how I came to be." She, like other adoptees, is concerned about rejection. "I wonder if my birth mother or father is one of the people fighting for this not to pass," she said. "I don�t want to drop a bombshell. I don�t want to disturb anyone. I just want some questions answered, if it�s possible." But from the outset, she�s looking for a mother she respects. "She loved enough to give a child away," Schrader said. "What a sacrifice that person made." Horn was so excited about the prospect of finally learning his parentage that he called the Health Division Tuesday for an update. "They will be processing mine tomorrow," Horn said. "I sent for mine Nov. 27, 1998, so I�m pretty close to the top." He said when the birth certificate arrives he�ll pop open a Miller beer, and eat a birthday cake to celebrate � because, finally, he�ll know his real birthday. Horn was adopted as an infant. His adoptive father was abusive. His parents split up when he was a teenager, and he didn�t get along with his step-father. He got in trouble with the law when he was caught drinking beer underage. He left home at 15, flopping with friends and extended family. As soon as he could, he enrolled in the Army. "He had a real rough time growing up," said cousin Darren Horn, 37, of Eugene. "I wouldn�t wish it on my worst enemy." Since then, Horn�s adoptive father has died. Horn became disabled in the service, and spends his time fixing old motorcycles, playing chess and raising his kids. He�s lost touch with his adoptive mother and younger sister, who was his parents� biological daughter. He�s ecstatic he may someday have a new biological family. "I want a real sense of who I am," he said. "I want to know what my roots are. " But when Horn gets the birth certificate, he said, he�ll be discreet. He doesn�t want to ruin anyone else�s life by showing up out of the blue. "It doesn�t matter if they don�t want to see me," he said. "It will be enough to know what my birth date really is." He won�t change his name when he learns the name of his biological parents, he said. Aside from the fact that his children and wife have taken the name Horn, there�s some pretty good relatives in the family that will always be family. "Some of the people I share this last name with are awesome people," Horn said. "They�ve treated me like I was there own. My uncle and aunt and my cousins: These people are gold to me." Staff writer Dani Dodge can be reached at (541) 776-4471 or [email protected] Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. 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