Blog

By Brent Hoffmann, Class of 2005

“We had a request for a German-language River Cruise for a group of Germans who were in town as part of a cruise of the Great Lakes,” says Greg. “I volunteered. I had a college minor in German, with additional classes at the Goethe Institute, and had studied the language for a year in Austria.” In 2014 he was the only docent certified for the River Cruise who knew the language. He enlisted the help of three other docents who led CAF’s German-speaking walking tours. Ted Jackanicz, Ingrid Zeller and Gabriela Freese wrote the tour — and shared the narration duties on the river. “It was a good exercise in docent teamwork as they were great to work with, and I enjoy meeting people from all over the world,” he continues.

Greg was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in the Chicago area. He earned a B.S. in geography at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He followed with a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus. He pursued a career in city and transportation planning with the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, DuPage County, Village of Orland Park, City of Darien and the Illinois Tollway.

Although he retired in 2014, “I still follow the news in government and politics,” he adds. He’s an avid reader of non-fiction (just the facts, please!), biographies, memoirs and history.

“Growing up in Chicago, I’ve been fascinated with the city,” he says. “I liked playing tour guide to my family and friends. I took a CAF historic skyscrapers tour and I thought, ‘I’d like to do that.’ I kept it in mind for future reference. And I became a docent in 2007.”

Burnham Plan
Greg is certified for the River Cruise, Architectural Highlights by Bus, Chicago Modern and Elevated Architecture: Downtown “L” Train. Once a year, he helps out with the Churches by Bus Tour. He is co-tour director for Architectural Highlights by Bus, and has served as a certifier, sponsor and coach for docent training.

Of his river tour, he says, “I’m the only docent that I know of who focuses on the Daniel Burnham 1909 Plan of Chicago. I point out that Wacker Drive, the DuSable Bridge, Navy Pier and the huge lakefront harbor are there because of the 1909 Plan.

“The ‘L’ tour is my favorite, due to my interest in trains and public transportation and having been a transportation planner,” he continues. “When I travel out of town, I’m the kind of tourist that goes on public transportation just for the fun of it, and to learn the layout of the city.”

Bicyclist
Greg has a long history of volunteering. He explains, “Most notable was being on the founding board of directors of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, which was established in 1985. I served on the board for seven years, back when we were operating on a shoestring budget. It’s now known as the Active Transportation Alliance. It amazes me how the organization has grown into a large and respected voice for bicycling, pedestrian and transit issues in the Chicago area. I’m still an avid bicyclist,” he continues. “In 2018, I biked 2,000 miles, which was the most I’ve ever biked in a year.”

Moscow Cemetery
Greg’s been to Europe eight times. “In 2017, we took an outstanding tour of the Stockholm subway system. It’s essentially an underground art gallery. As an irresistible add-on to our Scandinavian tour, we followed with a trip to Moscow.

“We took a guided tour of the Moscow subway system. But most fascinating was our tour of the Novodevichy Convent Cemetery, where 20th century Russian VIPs are buried. The tombstones are unique and interesting works of art. They reflect the lives of the departed, including Nikita Khruschhev, Boris Yeltsin and Raisa Gorbachev.”

His plans? “My wife Pam and I are planning a trip to France and Germany this summer to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary,” he concludes. “In addition to trying to maintain some proficiency in German, I’ve studied French and plan to dabble in other languages as well. I need to expand my horizons to other continents. The list is long.”

* Translated: “He conducted tours in German.”