July 15, 1972: At the Top of the John Hancock Building
	May 29, 1972: At the Indianapolis 500
	Return to Index for 1972

It really isn't necessary, I suppose, to repeat my thoughts upon leaving the Service, nor my belief that my move to Chicago will rank as one of the turning points of my life, if indeed there are any. Suffice it to say that I entered an environment in June, 1972, the likes of which I had never experienced.

Aside from all the personal changes, the change of location was enough to boggle the mind. From a city like Indianapolis, big but homey nevertheless, to a city like Chicago, huge and infinitely more cosmopolitan, was quite a move.

I had visited Chicago earlier this year to see a friend who had been with me in Korea and who now worked at Hugh Leather Company west of downtown Chicago. Terry Heyward and his wife (and new baby) lived in Evanston, a northern suburb, and he had given me a tour of the north side of Chicago and so I had a leg up on knowing where to look.

I knew I wanted to be near the lakeshore and Lincoln Park, and I also knew that I would have to go a couple of miles north from downtown so that rents would be cheaper. A highrise would be too expensive, and an older building would be too, so I settled on looking at brownstones and newer singles-oriented buildings.

The map at left will show you the area of Chicago that's pertinent, and I've marked my office (a skyscraper right downtown), the John Hancock Center (as you probably know where that is) and my new apartment on Barry Street.

I took an apartment in a four-plus-one at 416 W. Barry, about 35 blocks North of my office in the Loop. It was quite a different apartment from the one in Lawrence, not nearly as big, and more expensive. I was really not prepared for life in the big city, and there was a time when I even thought of declining the job offer at Continental because I found the city so depressing at first sight.

But it turned out that the best place for me to start off was in one of these buildings, called "four-plus-ones" because they were buildings with four living floors and one entry-parking level, taking advantage of the city ordinances which specified that buildings five stories or higher had to much more well-constructed.

My apartment was a one-bedroom- standard for this area of mainly young and single people. There were some families and older folks, but most families lived further north and west in older brownstones or out in the suburbs, and many older folks, old enough to have some resources, lived in older and higher buildings along major streets like Sheridan Road. There are a great many of these "four-plus-ones" throughout the area 2500 North through 4000 North, and 300 West through 600 West. I don't know what the exact number of apartments is, but it is very high. I rented some furniture to start off with, bought a rug or two, and was all set. I spent some time rewiring the stereo, which was quite a job. I started work right away, so it was a weekend job getting the apartment ready. But by the middle of June I was all set in my living space.

I don't think I ever took a picture of my first apartment building, but because I am creating this album page in 2019 and have the wealth of resources of the Internet available to me, I can include this street view of the building:

Perhaps this is the wrong place to discuss the job at Continental because I still have it, and it would hardly be retrospective or interesting. Perhaps when I reach the point in this narrative some years hence when I have left the Bank, or have decided to stay for a career, comments on my early years will be more pertinent and easier to make. I should say only that I found the job to be about what I had expected, and had no major complaints. The one thing I do remember was that the job was actually kind of boring, as auditors spend most of their time looking at things that people have already done.

What really helped me to get used to the city in a hurry were the people I met early in the Summer. Through Mike O'Brian in Indianapolis, I was introduced to Bill Tobe, an through him I met quite a few people, almost all of whom have become good friends. Their knowledge of the city and their willingness to admit new persons to their circle of friends aided me immeasurably in getting used to living here. In fact, there are only one or two of the people whom I met early and saw quite a bit of that I don't usually see in the course of a month. For posterity, I should mentioned Bill Tobe, Harry Sachs, Stan Green, Steve Deutsch, Nancy Hooker, Leslie, Kerry, Pam, Joanie and Jerry Cohn. I don't want this to turn into a diary, and neither will the reader. There was rarely a lack of something do with somebody. Along with trips back to Indy and Muskegon, I kept busy the whole Summer.

NOTE: I can't resist inserting a bit of material from 1979 here- at a time when I am making prints from some of my slides and putting them into actual photo albums. Seven years have brought much change, much of it directly bearing on the preceding paragraph. As it turned out, the only one of these people I have seen at all in the last few years is Bill Tobe. He moved to California, and I saw him a number of times out there. Harry died in 1974. Stan has married and moved away. Steve has married, been divorced and changed jobs, but still lives here, although I have not seen him. Nancy married and moved. I have not heard from Leslie in some years. Kerry still lives in Chicago; she lived with Jerry for a while, but is now married to someone else and living here (and, so far as I know, continuing to work as an American Airlines stewardess). Pam and Joanie moved to San Francisco. Jerry moved back to Highland Park.

I might also say that now, seven years later, I have a greater insight into who some of these people really "were"- particularly Pam and Joanie. I have sensitivities now that I didn't have then, but that's a story for another time (and another year in this photo album).

Please use the links below to continue to another album page.

	July 15, 1972: At the Top of the John Hancock Building
	May 29, 1972: At the Indianapolis 500
	Return to Index for 1972