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By Brent Hoffmann, Class of 2005

“I first heard about the Chicago School of Architecture in the 1970s,” Karen said.   “Like many people, I thought it was an actual school instead of an education and preservation organization.  When that confusion was cleared up, I started going on CAF [Chicago Architecture Foundation] tours and loved them.  I’d recently graduated from Loyola University with a BA in history, was working during the day, and going to Loyola Law School at night.  I loved history and architecture and the tours were a welcome respite from sitting in a classroom or office.

“I admired the very knowledgeable docents who gave the tours, and I wanted to become one,” she continued.  “In 1977, I applied to be a docent at CAF, but I was rejected.  The interviewers said they thought I’d be too busy or not devoted enough to the organization.  So, I applied again, and graduated with the class of 1979.”

After earning her law degree, Karen served in the office of the Cook County State’s Attorney in Chicago.  She explained, “I defended county agencies involved in civil litigation, including civil rights cases, labor and employment suits, and tax matters.”

Carriage & Kayak Tours

Karen leads the River Cruise, Gold Coast: Astor Street, Graceland Cemetery, Art Deco Skyscrapers: the Riverfront, Art Deco Skyscrapers: the Loop, as well as the Monadnock, Marquette, and Mart building tours.  “Over the years, I watched a marriage proposal on my River Cruise,” she said.  “I got lost in Rosehill Cemetery with a group of tourees.  At Graceland Cemetery, I had to huddle with my tour-takers under the roof of the Potter Palmer monument during a lightning storm.”

Karen continued, “There were some tours I used to give but are now ‘in the vault,’ no longer being offered.  They include tours of the Glessner and Clarke houses when they were affiliated with the CAF.  Also gone are the Towers of Finance, Temples of Culture, Seats of Power and other great hits from the past.  But most unusual was the Horse and Carriage Tour. It traveled around ‘Bughouse Square,’ near the Newberry Library and toured nearby blocks in the north side.  But, when you sat in one of the enclosed carriages, you couldn’t really see the buildings very well.  So, it was a short-lived tour.

“I also tried to develop a tour that, literally, never left the dock, the kayak tour of the river,” she said.  “We planned to start on the north branch, paddle down to the main branch as far as the confluence of the three branches, and then paddle north again. Although it sounded like a great idea, it had to be scrapped.  It would have been too hard for the docent to be heard, dangerous to maneuver around the big ships, including our tour boats, and too tiring for tourees – especially if they weren’t experienced paddlers.”

Supervisor

Karen describes herself as a semi-retired attorney.  “In 2021, I was elected the supervisor of Maine Township.”  The township, with a population of about 135,000, is in Cook County, near O’Hare Airport.  It includes parts of Niles (Karen’s home), Park Ridge, Morton Grove, Glenview, Des Plaines, and Rosemont. “My staff offers trips and programs for seniors, summer camps for children, a food pantry, and free or low-cost therapy for residents, among other services.” Karen also is a volunteer at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.

“I love to travel , but the pandemic cancelled my recent plans,” Karen concluded.  “In the past, I visited all 50 states and all seven continents.  I’m still interested in traveling and finding new traveling companions.  I look forward to learning many more CAC tours and meeting hundreds more delightful tourees.”

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