Blog

By Brent Hoffmann,  Class of 2005

“Pick a card,” Russ says in the introduction to his Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age tour.    “I start by having my tourees select from five playing cards, like a card trick,” he explained.  “On the cards I’ve written the names of key persons who I’ll mention:  Potter Palmer on the King of Diamonds, Bertha Palmer on Queen of Diamonds, Montgomery Ward on King of Hearts, Marshall Field on King of Spades, and Queen Victoria on the Queen of Spades card.  I tell them to ‘read the name silently and remember who you have.  I’ll tell their stories during the tour, and will collect your cards at the end of the tour’.  In the future, I may modify the process depending on the situation with COVID-19.”

Russ also hands out a list – to all tour-takers — of nine items that is labeled  “scavenger hunt.”  Among the items are the name of an architect who signed his work, a building on top of a “forest” of 75-ft. oak trees, and a hotel that would fit well on the Grand Canal in Venice. “The items are not in the same order as they’ll appear in the tour,” said Russ.  Being out-of-order makes the tour more interesting.  At the end of the tour, I collect the name cards while quizzing them about the contributions of the persons.  I ask how everyone did on the scavenger hunt as I do my summary.  This way, I can ensure that my tour-takers pay attention, and add anything that I may have left out.”

Taught Math

Russ grew up in Quincy, Illinois  After he graduated with an M.S. in teaching mathematics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign — where he met his future wife Barbara — he became a high school teacher.  “Mostly, I taught geometry classes because no other teacher loved the topic like I did,” he continued.  “I had my students do geometry projects involving tessellations, M.C. Escher, Platonics solids with duals, Archimedian solids, and Buckminister Fuller.  I taught computer programming, too.  But after 11 years, I burned out.  I figured that after more years of teaching at that level, I’d end up a grumpy teacher, not fair to me or the kids.  So I added a weekend job of demonstrating computers at retail stores.  That was a kick, especially in Goldblatt’s at Christmas time.”

In 1981, Russ joined The First National Bank of Chicago as a computer programmer.  He continued teaching: computer and math courses at night school at Prairie State College.  He added to his education credentials by earning masters degrees in education at the University of Illinois, Chicago (in mathematics at secondary level), and at the Illinois Institute of Technology (teaching computer science).  “While at the bank, I enrolled at Northwestern University and earned an M.S. in communications.  I realized that system project issues are usually caused by bad communication,” he said.   “Technology is available if we understood better what is needed.”

Mergers Galore

The bank’s ownership changed during Russ’s career years.  “First National became First Chicago, begot First Chicago NBD, begot Bank One, which begot JP Morgan Chase.  I   survived all those mergers.  I think there should be a Broadway musical about corporate mergers, since so many people experienced them.  I became a docent in 2005 while the last merger was raging.  My regret was that I didn’t become a docent much sooner.  In 2013, I retired from the bank and finally had the courage to become a river docent.

“I’ve had a life-long fascination with architecture,” explained Russ.  “As a kid, I knew where all the construction was going on in my neighborhood.  I would ride my bike to check out the progress.  My favorite toys as a kid were the Gilbert Erector Set, Lincoln Logs, and red plastic bricks with white plastic doors and windows.”   Docent Russ is certified for Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Loop,  Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Riverfront, Chicago Architecture: A Walk Through Time, Historic Skyscrapers, Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age, Palmer House, and the River Cruise tours.  He’s been a docent sponsor, certifier and has done docent reviews.

Clock Bearings

“The river tour is a favorite because I like the energy of the crowd and the excitement of the river and its buildings,” he said. “Growing up in Quincy, along the Mississippi, I thought the best thing about the town was the river.

“On one of my cruises last summer, I saw 12 German Shepard dogs lined up to board the boat.  They were accompanied by about 30 people.  They all sat in front, and the dogs behaved.  The leader of the group said they were the RP Social Club, which gets together once a year in a different U.S. city.  RP stands for ‘retinitis pigmentosa.’  It’s a genetic disorder that causes the slow loss of peripheral vision and the ability to see color.  So their dogs were seeing-eye dogs.  Was there anything special that I could do for them on the tour?  Their answer: give clock bearings for the buildings that I’d talk about so they could focus their central vision in that direction.  I did it for all the buildings.  For example, saying that ‘the Merchandise Mart is on the left at 11 o’clock’ makes it easier for tour-takers than just saying ‘on the left is the Mart’.”  Russ now makes it a point to give clock bearings on all his river tours.

“The CAC tours are my hobby,” he concluded.  “It’s nice to be around other building nerds and people who have varying backgrounds and skills.  Plus, the people on the tours have taught me a lot.”

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