Cultural institutions are more than buildings, housing objects and exhibits; they are places to learn and explore, especially if you take advantage of their guided tours. Often led by unsung heroes — our volunteer docents — these educational opportunities help visitors to Chicago and residents alike better understand topics such as art, architecture and science.
With some institutions that have chosen to disband these volunteer programs in favor of paid docents who work longer hours, I think it’s important that we remember the countless contributions these volunteers make to our city. By donating their time and passion, these individuals bring the perspective of the visitor and simultaneously free up institutional resources so organizations can finance the other work they do in communities.
At the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), where I serve on the board, the impact of volunteer docents is profound. These dedicated individuals undergo rigorous training to deeply understand our city’s built environment. By leading walking and boat tours, docents offer visitors and locals alike an immersive journey into Chicago’s architectural heritage.
This includes individuals such as Cathy Thompson, who currently leads downtown walking tours and is training to become a docent on Chicago’s First Lady river cruise. Cathy is among several new docents contributing their tour-leading expertise to the CAC and other institutions, such as the Robie House and the Charnley-Persky House, following the end of their tenure at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The impact of CAC’s volunteer docents continues long after their tours end. These tours are a tourist destination in Chicago, and thanks to ticket revenue, the CAC is able to fund educational programming that introduces underserved youth to careers in science, technology, engineering, math and architecture, and empowers adults to take a more active role in building the city they want, thereby fostering a more inclusive and equitable future for our city.
Without volunteer docents, the CAC would be unable to dedicate the same level of resources to funding architecture and design education programs for Chicagoans.
Volunteer docents are the heartbeat of our cultural institutions, breathing life into exhibits, stories and traditions. In an era when the value of volunteer work is sometimes overlooked, it is essential to recognize and celebrate the contributions of these dedicated individuals. They embody the true Chicago spirit of service and community, selflessly giving their time and expertise to enrich the lives of others.
Without them, our museums and cultural landmarks would not be the vibrant, dynamic spaces they are today.
— Graham Grady, trustee, Chicago Architecture Center
There are millions of us
There are many of us in our great nation who do not buy the hype that our country is in a downward spiral filled with hate-mongering and disparagement of one another.
We don’t march in protests, nor do we get bent out of shape by the lies and never-ending conspiracies filling social media. We pay scant attention to any extreme policy stances from either political party.
We believe in commonsense and simply want a government that works for working- and middle-class America. We believe all people should be treated with dignity and respect and those being left behind by the marketplace should be given a hand up.
Most of the mainstream media ignore us, and that is fine. We seek normalcy and insist upon law and order. We do not heap guilt on those whose sexual orientation is different from ours, and we support citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, or “Dreamers,” within our borders.
We support abortion rights, oppose book banning and detest demeaning labeling and name-calling by those seeking public office. We do not find those who attacked the U.S. Capitol to be patriots, let alone hostages.
We find very little wrong with government that repairs highways, bridges and airports, nor do we find fault with alliances with other nations to foster economic security and world peace.
We are not noisy, nor do we alienate other Americans. We believe our planet is being damaged by human-induced climate change, and we seek health care as a right for all of us.
We are not socialists. We do not support tax cuts that are 50 times higher for the top 1% than middle-income households. We do want higher taxes on corporations and incomes at the top of our nation’s economic ladder.
Do not call us liberals or progressives. We are neither center-left nor center-right. We are quiet but not silent. We will show up to vote, and we will be heard.
Don’t bet against us as we represent Americans by the millions who will not have their democracy taken from them.
— Jerry Hanson, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
Missing 2 crucial points
The May 26 editorial on American’s perception of the economy misses two essential points (“Americans are not all economically ignorant. They just mostly care about different measurements than elites.”).
First, the Tribune Editorial Board’s focus is entirely on inflation. This is virtually meaningless unless it is simultaneously paired with changes in spending power. As it turns out, wages have generally increased faster than prices since the beginning of 2023. That is a critical consideration the board missed.
On the other hand, measures of inflation do not typically include the cost of borrowing, which has skyrocketed in the past two years. That is a huge factor for those with credit card debt or who are holding adjustable rate mortgages. That is the second critical consideration the board missed.
— Sam Cordes, emeritus economics professor, Chicago
Watch prices at the store
In this day and age in which everyone is watching their finances closely, everyone needs to look at their receipts in supermarkets or watch every item as it’s scanned either in a line or at a self-checkout.
Large supermarkets are using price markdowns to get people into their stores, move products and clear their aisles for new and or fresher products.
Remember the old-school phrase ‘buyer beware’ when shopping and protect yourself as a consumer: Monitor and audit your purchases either at the point of purchase or by reading your receipt in the store after making your purchases, so you don’t get fleeced.
— Eric M. Poders, Northbrook
A recovery of decorum
Agatha Christie mystery reprints were popular when I was a preteen in the 1960s, and I definitely read my share. Her books frequently contained a senior character who in disbelief and sorrow remarks about the passing of the conventions of their youth and how the contemporary scene is much different.
I couldn’t appreciate the unease back then, but I certainly can today. Christie nailed it, all right. I’ve heard the assessment multiple times on Facebook: that the world you grew up in is gone forever. Wait, who says so?
We sorely miss the display of respect for authority figures and those whose opinions differ from ours. We need that decorum.
But increased polarization? I don’t buy that. As folk wisdom puts it, the only place you see a gathering of people without friction is in a cemetery. It’s the mannered working out of differences that makes us civilized today. Or perhaps semi-civilized.
Painfully mindful of all that, I’m seeing the upcoming debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump as yet another opportunity to recover here. Can the candidates act like proper role models, dispense with the character assassination and confine themselves to the issues? Remember those? The economy, taxes, foreign trade, immigration, climate control, abortion, Israel and Ukraine present a workable list.
May the best man win on these counts.
— Tom Gregg, Niles
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