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By Brent Hoffmann, class of 2005

You may not have met him, as he’s fairly new–a Bovine, class of 2019. But you’ve likely read one of Burt’s articles — replete with photos — in The Bridge.   His travelogues have described the American cemetery in Normandy; the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Terrain of Terror, or Perpetrators’ Museum, in Berlin; the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama; and tour guides in four European capitals.

And in the past, you may have read Burt’s cover features in the Chicago Reader. His subjects ranged from an orthopedic surgeon who used his engineering know-how to improve joint replacements, to a dealer in tribal art who risked his life to find authentic tribal collectibles.

Check it out.

Burt was born in Logan Square, attended Chicago and suburban public schools, and went on to the University of Michigan.  He wrote for the Michigan Daily while earning a B.A. in English, with credits in creative writing.  He followed that with an M.A. in sociology at the University of Chicago.  “My first grown-up job was the crime beat at the City News Bureau of Chicago,” he said. That’s the bootcamp where Mike Royko learned his stuff.  The CNB, which fed stories to the five daily papers, was a stickler for accuracy.  Its watchwords were, “If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out with two independent sources.”

Burt joined CAC after a career in advertising. He began as a copywriter at international ad agencies.  “Then, In 1987, I started my own boutique agency, Burt Michaels & Associates,” he continued.  “Our accounts included Sears Craftsman Tools and Toshiba flat-screen monitors. Amazingly, I kept it going for 18 years before cashing out in 2004.” After retiring, he wrote fiction for two consecutive summers at the Squaw Valley Writer’s Workshop, one of the nation’s oldest and most competitive community of writers.  Then spent most of the next eight years babysitting his five grandchildren—here and in Berkeley, CA.

Seven Tours

“For years Susan—my wife—and I took river cruises once or twice every summer,” he said.  “So, when a neighbor suggested I host at St. Chrysostom’s, a church nearby, for Open House Chicago, I took him up on it.  Soon after, I wound up in docent training.”  

Training must have agreed with him, since he now leads seven tours: Historic Treasures (as tour director-in-training); Walk Through Time; Astor Street; Dearborn Street; Fulton Market; What’s New?; and Magnificent Mile. His favorite?  “They all have their attractions,” said Burt. “For some, like nearby Astor and Dearborn Streets, I can just roll out of bed.  After Fulton Market, I can pick up Bonci pizza. I’ve learned so much training for each tour, it’s like tuition-free grad school.

“Whatever tour I’m leading, my priority is keeping guests comfortable,” he added. “On a Nuts-and-Bolts demo tour for the 2023 docent class, I told trainees that our guests might not remember architects’ names or buildings’ completion dates, but they sure as all hell will remember standing in the sun.”

At Docent Appreciation Night in 2022, he received the One Team award.  “That was really for the Bovines of 2019,” he said. “Our class has inspired leadership, a deep bench, and indefatigable esprit de corps.”  Burt helped develop the Helmut Jahn tour and update the Astor Street manual.  He joined the tour committee because, he concluded, “after taking a critical look at both new and old tours, we inevitably bring that critical eye to our own tours. There’s so much synergy.”

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