Ron Grossman

2 months ago | chicagotribune.com | Ron Grossman

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” It was destined to be the definitive literary monument of the Roaring ’20s, a decade of fortunes made and lost on Wall Street. Prohibition gave booze the lure of the illicit. But the novel’s debut on April 10, 1925, was a dud. It sold fewer than 20,000 copies. The reviews were generally favorable, if not enthusiastic. But it was trashed by H. L.

Mar 9, 2025 | chicagotribune.com | Ron Grossman

Long before women could vote, the Chicago Woman’s Club was a vocal champion of social reform. In 1904, its president offered a newspaper reporter an assessment of the organization that must have seemed candid, or self-serving, depending on the eye of the beholder.

Mar 9, 2025 | chicagotribune.com | Ron Grossman

Nebbish is the Yiddish word for dork. But in some families it doubles as a pet name for a beloved ne’er-do-well. That was my Uncle Jerry. As one fellow who married into the family described his introduction to our tribe’s notables: “Meet Uncle Ike. Has three pawn shops. His son runs a race track, for the mob. Mrs. Mass. She’s the pastry chef at Joe Stein’s Romanian Restaurant. Bob David is in advertising. Designs tchotchkes, like key rings, for a car dealership.

Mar 2, 2025 | chicagotribune.com | Ron Grossman

Chicago is rightly celebrated as the skyscraper’s birthplace. But another architectural achievement wasn’t recognized, even locally, until recently. The humble bungalow made it possible for Chicagoans to realize the American Dream of home ownership. In the first part 20th century, between 80,000 and 100,000 bungalows were built in Cook County. The majority went up between the end of World War I and the beginning of the Great Depression, making many about 100 years old.

Feb 16, 2025 | chicagotribune.com | Ron Grossman

In 1964, the Rolling Stones took a break from their first American tour to record several songs at Chess Records at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. It was where Chicago’s Black blues performers made the records that were revered by the British group, which took its name from a Muddy Waters song, “Rollin’ Stone.”“We walked into Chess studios and there’s this guy in black overalls painting the ceiling,” Keith Richards, co-founder of the Rolling Stones, recalled in his memoir.