This book could not have been written without the help and support of family, friends, and colleagues at The Cliff Dwellers club in Chicago.  My wife Cathy without complaint stoically put up with my being glued to a keyboard for the longest and my cousin Tony Bowe continuously encouraged me to tell the different tales collected in this book and prevailed upon his friend John Sargent for helpful professional publishing advice. Along the way, Gregory Gordon, Rob Warden, Robert McHenry, Douglas Eveleigh, Jonathan Laing and Jan Grayson assured me I was on the right track or offered useful feedback on parts of the manuscript.  Similarly, my cohorts at The Cliff Dwellers who knew more about book publishing than I did were instrumental in bringing this manuscript to life.  These helpmates included master of the English language Bill Drennan, and authors Richard Reeder, Dr. Edward Gordan, and Deirdre Nansen McCloskey.  Gary Johnson, former President of the Chicago History Museum, Tom Gradel, and Don Evans have also provided me with useful guidance. I am further indebted to Matthew Nickerson, a former Chicago Tribune reporter later turned Private Historian.  Matt’s skill and good judgement permeates the manuscript.  Finally, I must thank website and book designer Laura Fairman for taking select photographs from my overflowing digital shoebox and integrating them into the well-ordered collection you see here.