“Curiosity did not kill this cat”…

Old Chicago is passing on day-by-day, but the one thread that kept us loosely tied was Louis ‘Studs’ Turkel.

With his passing today, one only has to look at how Division Street has changed with the Jewel, Kinko’s, Blockbuster, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, but that’s a story that has been hammered down for years.

What’s cool in remembering ‘Studs’ Turkel is that he was Chicago, and he saw the beauty of the everyday man. In the Trib’s obituary, this description says it best.

“It was on “Studs’ Place,” which was set in a tavern, that large numbers of people discovered what Terkel did best–talk and listen. Terkel, arms waving, words exploding in bursts, leaning close to his talking companions, didn’t merely conduct interviews. He engaged in conversations. He was interested in what he was talking about and who he was talking to.”

Few people realize that BugHouse Square was the classroom for ‘Studs.’  The beauty of BugHouse Square is that the park remains one of the few public spaces that you’ll truly find all walks of life residing or should I say resting on the benches in the park.

With all of the tour buses starting to park in front of my window, I’m hoping that all find the essence of ‘Studs’ this evening…Start a conversation.

Farewell to Division Street tonight…

Thank You “Studs”,

BD