CHICAGO — David Schwartz knew every part of the city. He was a salesman; he had to.
"Because he was out and about traveling the street for sales, the city became almost like a co-worker to him," said his son, Jason Schwartz, 30, of Park Ridge. "He didn't work with people, he worked with the city — the city he grew up loving."
So after the Chicago native died March 19, Jason Schwartz created a Twitter account in August to honor his father. The Twitter handle, @Chicago_History, features many of the memories Schwartz shared with his father — from historic photos and stories of great Bears teams to pictures of old-school dining establishments like the former Toots Drive Thru in Portage Park.
A little chicken soup for the #Chicago soul.We give you: Daily #Ditka ~ #Bears @Ditka2ATX @ChetCoppock @ditkaofficial pic.twitter.com/GfjnmTIrSX
— Chicago History (@Chicago_History) October 3, 2014"While grieving for my dad, who was my best friend ever, this has almost been therapeutic for me in slowly moving on without him, but keeping memories of him cherished while putting in the effort to do something like this that I know he would be proud of," Schwartz said. "He would definitely be my No. 1 fan of @Chicago_History."
Justin Breen says Schwartz is a social media whiz:
Schwartz said the mission of @Chicago_History, which was created in August and has more than 2,200 followers, is simple: trying to bring Chicago together.
"That's part of my goal, is to almost make the page into a big Chicago gathering," said Schwartz, who noted he's updated the page "around the clock" for the last two months. "I want to bring everyone who has ever represented the city, in any way, shape, or form together. From Jenny McCarthy to Jane Lynch to Scottie Pippen to [radio broadcaster] Chet Coppock to even the noncelebrity figures, just people who feel like they wanna belong to something."
Maxwell street vendors circa 1962 #Chicago ~ @common @IAMJHUD @MariaLKanellis @laurenjiggetts @kicker34 @DavidOtunga pic.twitter.com/Xd2PrrGpQ8
— Chicago History (@Chicago_History) October 3, 2014"Most people come on Twitter to market their business, or to hear what celebrities have to say, or read breaking, up-to-the-minute news, but my page is different," Schwartz, who has more than 26,000 followers on his personal Twitter page, added. "I'd like to think @Chicago_History comes off as more of a breath of fresh air. Because it's nostalgia with a twist, and it brings a whole new element of Chicago to Twitter and the rest of the world."
Schwartz, who finds articles and photos through Google searches and other research, said he wants @Chicago_History to become a must-see Twitter page for Chicagoans.
"Chicago isn't going anywhere, so neither am I," he said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
