Editor’s note: Memories from Milestone Docents was compiled by Leslie Clark Lewis. Special thanks to Kathleen Carpenter and Susan Pappas who provided most of the photos.
Sandy Bredine – 20 Years
I can’t say that I have one specific event that has been my most memorable CAC event. Most of the tours I do are on the River. And what’s so satisfying about that is sharing my love of Chicago with visitors from around the country and around the world. I find it contagious when they stop me afterward to ask questions and tell me how much they are enjoying their visit to Chicago.
Nothing special, but very satisfying.
Bob Burns – 25 Years
I vividly recall my excitement in being selected to join the 1997 docent class, and going through my training and certification. At the time I was recently home from a year spent in Europe, which made me so aware of my deficiencies in my own understanding of my home city! I eagerly devoured the information that suddenly became available to me. Becoming a docent was a fantastic challenge: not just to grow in my knowledge of Chicago, but also for me to gain confidence in speaking to groups of strangers, and to give back by helping others to appreciate this incredible city. I was – and still am – in wonderment that such an incredible opportunity is available to those bold enough to take up the challenge! I continue to be rewarded, and continue to be grateful, for the opportunity to be part of this group.
Tom Carmichael – 15 Years
I think I’ve shared all my memorable moments many times already. Recently, I was interviewed by one of the hosts of “Ozarks Live,” a program originating from Springfield, Missouri. HERE’S THE LINK. Click on the video screen on the right. You have to listen to an ad first. I don’t know how long it will be active. In the meantime, I’m working on developing a following for the River Cruise in southern Missouri.
Gregory Dreyer – 15 Years
Being a volunteer means giving your time and energy to a cause or organization. Telling the story of Chicago and its architecture to people from all over the world is satisfying and fulfilling. Not all people are willing to devote time in this way. My late mother was one of those. She was a giving person who devoted much time and energy to her family and close friends, but her benevolence didn’t extend much beyond that. After I became a docent, my mother asked me if I was being paid for giving tours. I told her that I wasn’t being paid and that it’s volunteer work. Sarcastically, she responded, “well, aren’t you nice!” I certainly didn’t let her disapproval stop me. In fact, I have given many more tours than required and haven’t lost my enthusiasm for it. So, here I am an adult still rebelling against his mother, except I am a rebel with a cause.
Sylvia Dunbeck – 35 Years
Thirty five years! Where did it go and so quickly?? Probably what helped was my continuing pleasure at being a docent for CAC. I’ve surely had time to consider the hundreds of miles I have traveled by foot, by boat, by trolley and by bus. Unforgettable, of course, are the literally thousands of interesting visitors I have met from all over the world. And what about the multiple unanswerable questions that have been thrown my way? Why is there no elevator near here? Why didn’t you tell us about that green and yellow building we passed? Where’s the best place to go swimming? It’s all been fun, educational and enriching. My only disappointment: I have never had a celebrity on any of my tours and at this point I expect it’s too late to hope Henry Kissinger might actually show up one day.
Joan Fallert – 20 Years
In my 20 years of docenthood, I have given tours to hundreds of people from the U S and abroad, made lasting friendships with other docents, taken trips to places I never would have seen otherwise, and learned so very much in the field of architecture. I had always been interested in art and curious about architecture, and when my Harold Washington College colleagues Hy Speck and Marcia Dam encouraged me to apply to CAF after retirement, I jumped at the chance to belong to this band of docents. Am I glad I did! It’s been 20 happy years of life enhancement for me, and I’m not done yet!
Thank you, CAC, from the bottom my heart!
Virginia Gerst – 15 Years
I remember our training, in the coldest January (was that even the month?) on record — at least it felt that way. It was too cold to ask friends to observe my demo of the Historic Skyscraper tour, so I enlisted my husband. We bundled up big time, but even so, it was so frigid, my mouth could hardly move. He was struggling to keep his eyes from freezing shut. We retreated to some indoor space after each building presentation.
To this day, when he asks me to do something he knows I don’t want to do, he says “remember how I went on that cold, cold tour with you.” And it was worth it. Being a docent is a gift. I would walk over coals to be part of the group.
Pat Grund – 20 Years
Well, twenty years, how can it be? I never thought I’d enjoy something as much as I enjoy giving tours and being associated with the Chicago Architecture Center. A real highlight for me, is managing a building during Open House Chicago. Meeting the building management and watching the guests enjoy the intricacies of the structure really brings home what a great city of architecture we live in. Truly I don’t think I would have enjoyed being a docent without the wonderful fellow docents I am able to call friend. My life has changed quite a bit over the past 20 years and they’ve rejoiced with me in the happy times and lifted me up during the others. You are an amazing group !!!
Mary Jo Hoag – 15 Years
When I was a newly minted docent in 2007, I gave my first Modern Skyscrapers Tour. I had a full house and no GTS back then. Who shows up for my tour? My mom! Mom had always been an adventurous soul and, at 83, still in good shape. I was glad and surprised to see her. She did well on the two hour tour and talked with everyone there telling them that the docent was her daughter. Not too long after that time, mom became less resilient or able to do things like walk a two hour tour. The memory of her taking that tour stays with me today and is one of the first, and best, that I have of giving tours for CAC.
Cynthia Karabush – 30 Years
I have always had an abiding interest in the built environment. My undergraduate degree was in Architectural Design (with emphasis on City Planning). I graduated during a deep recession when jobs were nowhere to be found, so I ended up working in engineering offices for the next twelve years. Then I got married and moved to the Chicago area. Of course I signed up for the first CAF docent class I could!
Those classes at the old lecture hall and at Glessner House got me into the city, and also gave me a chance to meet other adults who were happy to talk about architecture. I had a small child at home and another on the way, and I remember the class director, Kate Shantz, was terrified that I would go into labor and miss completing the class and qualifying, but the baby was very cooperative and delayed coming until I was all done and certified. Giving tours continued to offer me that chance to get away from the little ones and share my love of the city with other adults, especially when I got to learn the “Hard Hat” tour of Millennium Park, still my favorite tour!
As my children got older and busier, I had to concentrate more on neighborhood tours in our own and nearby suburbs: Highland Park, Lake Forest Cemetery, Lake Bluff and Fort Sheridan. It continues to be a joy to get outdoors and share landscape, architecture, and decorative arts with people from all over, and to socialize with other docents who feel the same way.
Jeff Marcella – 20 Years
On a tour at Marshall Fields, I told how Field said, ‘Give the lady what she wants.’ A guy walking by with his son stopped and said, ‘No, Levi Leiter said that first — and this is his great-grandson.’ Only in Chicago, right? As the tourees looked thrilled, I turned over the tour for five minutes for him to tell more about their ancestor. As we were leaving and I gave him a quizzical look – he figured I was going to ask for a grant to CAF – he said ‘No, the money was gone two generations ago.’
Also, I want to bring your memories back to learning the Modern tour. The docent who led the demonstration tour of the Modern in ’01 was Marc Boxerman. Marc was a Mies’ aficionado and we spent the better part of an hour, I think in bad weather, at the Federal Center getting a deep immersion in every aspect of the building. I didn’t love it before, but gained a real appreciation and love for the building and the style, and now I can do a pretty good 15 minutes walking people around the plaza, turning at 90 degree angles to see all the views, lining up sight lines and the perfection of Mies’ plan. And my tourists, even if they don’t end up loving it, gain a real appreciation and start seeing lines on buildings that line up with other lines for the rest of their day!
Jeff Mercer – 30 Years
“30 years! OMG! I must be getting old, because it is hard to retrieve a specific, telling or memorable incident, though I know the experience has enriched my life. I have made lifelong friends in the docent community, starting with the Class of 1992, which met in the Glessner House. I have a particular affinity for cemeteries, and was fortunate to learn several cemetery tours. One day in Rosehill, I met a man who was tending the grounds of a recently-completed mausoleum – a distinct rarity. He had built it for his deceased wife out of polished, red granite, cut and shipped from China. We sat together on lawn chairs in front of the new mausoleum and discussed the beauty of Rosehill Cemetery.”
John Morris – 20 Years
When I took my first tour from CAF, I had some knowledge about Chicago Skyscrapers. I thought, this seems easy, I can do that. I signed up to be a docent and learned it was not quite so easy. But it has been rewarding. The most amazing thing to me is no matter how many times you give a tour, there is always something new to learn. You get to meet and talk to people who visit Chicago from all over the world. I have truly enjoyed working with the team for Lights, Camera, Architecture and look forward to more seasons on the street.
Bill Page – 20 Years
All the memories I wrote at 15 years, from “I love and enjoy being a docent” to “thanks for inspiring,” remain true. An addition: a few years ago, I took the AIA New York boat tour around Manhattan. During a break, I introduced myself to the guide as a CAF (now CAC) docent — and he bowed in honor! I told him how much I was enjoying his tour, and he said “You know our tour is modeled after yours.” I told him I could tell, and, though I don’t do our River Cruise, I complimented him on what he’d adapted for a longer tour in a different place. It’s such a joy to share so much respect and appreciation within CAC and with our client, neighbor, and peer communities.
Howard Sachs – 15 Years
Hard to believe it’s been 15 yr. already. I really have enjoyed all this time learning, teaching and leading tours. Growing up in the city, I have always loved coming downtown and admired our great bldgs – even led informal tours to colleagues during my working years. So, I knew that I wanted to become a docent and joined the Jan. 2007 class after retiring in Dec. 2006. As for a memorable moment, too many to count. But one comes to mind now:
Shortly after our move to the new CAC bldg I was scheduled to give the Must-See tour one afternoon. There was a very heavy rain all day and I doubted anyone would show up. But a Mom and teen-age son from Atlanta were determined to go as it was there last day in the city. Having no rain gear, they purchased ponchos from the Retail shop and off we went – just the 3 of us. In spite of the nasty weather, we had a wonderful time as the boy kept asking interesting questions and was very enthusiastic. By end of the tour, they thanked me profusely and offered a generous tip, which I of course told them they should just put into our Donation box. Although we were all totally soaked by then, the Mom told me that her son had an interest in studying Architecture, and that inspired her to bring him to Chicago and go on some tours. She said that the tour that day “sealed the deal”. I’d like to think that he has gone on to follow his dream, and maybe I had a very small part in encouraging his interest.
Sydney Schuler – 30- Years
I recall the chills as I received my certificate at the Glessner House graduation. Looking back over the years, I remember training for the Historic, Modern, Millennium Park Trolley and River tours. I remember the Cityfront Center tour, my shot at Tour director. However, when asked about my Docent Dxperience, it isn’t the tours that come to mind. It is the belonging to something very special that I share with docents. My Docent Experience is the snowball fight at River training, the hard had elevator rides, and feeling the cold on an unfinished rooftop. It is cocktails in the Wrigley upper offices and at the Robie House It is the privilege of mind-blowing conversations with like-minded souls: the friendships I have made along my journey of 30 years.
Barry Sears – 30 Years
After 30 years, it’s still a thrill to feel a group absorbing new knowledge on a walk through the Loop. Over the years, I’ve had many involvements with CAC. Organizing architecture ‘study tours’ for CAF members, the last ones were to Singapore and Mexico City. I’ve been a program chairman of the Auxiliary Board, finding places of architectural interest for learning and fun. Of all my docent experiences, certainly the greatest was being named an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects at its 2011 convention in New Orleans.
Kristi Turnbaugh – 15 Years
I fell in love with Chicago during my visits as a child, and when I moved here in 1994, I quickly knew that this would be my home for a long time. I became a docent partly to get over my fear of public speaking—but mostly because I wanted to learn more about this magnificent city and share that love with others. It’s been an incredible privilege to be a docent all these years.
Bill Wiley – 15 Years
Being a CAC docent was one of the highlights of my life. When I was a teenager in the 1950’s, I wanted to be either a lawyer or an architect. While I chose to become a lawyer, I always had a love of architecture. After retiring, I was finally able to pursue this yearning. The great advantage of being a docent is that the more you know, the more you want to learn. It is difficult now to walk down a street and avoid trying to analyze the buildings. And I so much enjoyed sharing my knowledge with those on my tours.
Claudia Winkler – 15 Years
A few years ago after torrential rains, I was giving a river tour one morning and we had to turn around at the confluence because the MWRD had let out so much water into the river that we couldn’t get under the bridges. As we approached the Michigan Avenue bridge, the Captain asked everyone (maybe a total of 40) to come to the front of the boat to weigh it down so that we could get under the bridge!! Everyone complied and we made it under the bridge. That was a first!
And then in late June, 2018, it had been very warm and the Michigan Avenue bridge steel expanded and the bridge wouldn’t open for a bridge lift. So the fireboat came over and sprayed river water on the bridge with the Chicago Fire Department spraying from above. The steel contracted and the bridge opened, much to the delight of the boats still going to the Lake for the season
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