Blog

By Brent Hoffmann, Class of 2005

“Draw what you see,” said Wayne Galasek to the third-graders of Aerial Community Academy. “It could be those words up on the side of the Art Institute, or the fountain or even the trees.” During his Art and Architecture tour for the students, “I encourage young people to observe, think, and interpret on their own, then let their hands reflect what they see with their eyes.”

Why & What
“I like to share with my guests, both kids and adults, the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’ of architecture,” he said. “Explaining context is so important to what we do. It helps people understand and relate to what they’re looking at. For example, what was happening in Chicago and the world when a certain building was conceived and built? Where was the chief architect educated? Beyond the basic needs of the owners, what was the inspiration for the building’s aesthetics? Why was the structure built? And from an engineering point of view, what holds the thing up? The more you know, the better you can interpret — which leads to people enjoying themselves and having a good time.”

Wayne became a docent in 2005. He is certified for the Art in Architecture, River Cruise and Private Charters, Structure, and Student Loop tours. To those who attended the 2016 Docent Appreciation Night, he’s well-remembered as “Joliet” Jake Blues. Wayne and “Elwood,” Chuck McLaughlin, brightened the evening with their hilarious docent interpretation of the Blues Brothers, made famous by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in the late-1970s.

Insurance Schools
Wayne has been an insurance broker/consultant for 42 years. Specializing in health coverage and retirement plans, he spent his first 10 years as an agent in Peoria and Chicago. In 1985 he started the American Insurance Schools, an Illinois Department of Insurance-approved provider that prepares students to take the licensing exams for all lines of insurance. He now teaches pre-licensing and continuing education courses to insurance companies, brokerage houses, investment companies, and banks throughout the state. In addition, he consults with individuals and companies in developing healthcare plans.

Wayne graduated from Bradley University in 1975 with a B.S. double major in business and music. Previously, he’d earned an associate degree in restaurant management from Triton College. He plays several instruments, including the bassoon, clarinet, and piano. He performed with Benny Goodman and Sarah Vaughn while a member of the Peoria Symphony. He still plays the piano every day. “It’s my psychiatrist,” he jokes.

Double Life
Besides being a docent, Wayne recently was elected president of the 200-plus member Chicago Tour Professionals Association. He is one of a small group of Chicago Certified Tour Guides. He has led gangster/prohibition, church/sacred spaces, food/candy, Pullman Village, general highlights, Bronzeville, music, sports, neighborhood, and paranormal/ghost tours. Of course, none of these are architecture tours. Over the years, he has escorted adult and children’s groups on educational tours along Route 66, around the Great Lakes, to Milwaukee, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Niagara Falls, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, and to the Caribbean as well. Wayne’s tours have been featured on the Travel Channel, History Channel, America’s Scariest Places, French TV, and local Los Angeles shows.

Wayne recalls a scary evening when leading a bus tour focused on Resurrection Mary, Chicago’s legendary, ball-gowned girl who reportedly hitchhikes to Resurrection Cemetery. “Before we got to the cemetery,” said Wayne, “our bus was rear-ended by a car and caught on fire. I got my guests and driver out of the bus before anyone was hurt. And with all that excitement, nobody complained that we never got to see Mary.”

When not leading tours or teaching insurance, Wayne serves as president of the Oak Park Invitational Charity Golf Tournament, which is celebrating its 51st anniversary in 2017.

At Home
Wayne and his wife, Judy, live in Oak Park. They have two married daughters, Heidi and Gretchen, and, “we thoroughly enjoy our two young grandchildren, Morrighan and Conor.” In his spare time, he reads voraciously, cooks, and plays the piano.