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Acknowledgments
Many people helped clear my path and pointed me in the right direction on the way to completing this book. The productivity of my research visits to Chicago was enhanced by innumerable friendly and helpful people. The staff of the Special Collections Research Center at the University of Chicago was efficient and obliging of my many requests for documents and photocopying. Material at the Chicago Public Library proved invaluable in my search for the histories of neighborhood improvement associations, particularly the Neighborhood History Research Collection at the Harold Washington Library. Special thanks to Constance Gordon for her enthusiastic interest in my work and for ably guiding me through the voluminous neighborhood collection. James Grossman helped introduce me to Chicago and its neighborhoods, especially Hyde Park, and provided some useful early feedback. The wonderful staff at the Chicago Historical Society made the many hours I spent there interesting, pleasurable, and fruitful. Julie Thomas and Deborah King were especially helpful. In addition to introducing me to the Hyde Park Protective Association papers, the late Archie Motley provided valuable insights into