Home Chicago History Course Books About Joe Oswald Contact
Joe
Oswald was born and raised in Chicago’s historic Beverly Hills neighborhood
where he continues to live and raise his own family. He has a bachelor’s
degree in Secondary Education and a master’s degree in history from De Paul
University as well as a master’s degree in Educational Administration from
Governors State University. Joe has
worked as a Chicago public high school history teacher for over twenty years. He served as a
member of his school’s Literacy Team, served as departmental coordinator for
the Chicago Reading Initiative, and has been a member of the North Central
writing improvement committee, the school grant writing committee, and
supervised numerous student teachers. He has also served as chairman of
the history department and on the School Leadership Team for nine of those years and
continues to teach Chicago History and an A.P. Research course. Additionally, Joe has endorsements in
special education, English as a Second Language, and is a certified
International Baccalaureate teacher.
His previous work includes a book about the historic Beverly Hills/Morgan Park neighborhood in Chicago published by Arcadia Publishing as part of their Images of America series. When he was twenty-one years old he passed the Illinois Real Estate exam and began selling real estate with a local Century-21 office. He also took a general contracting class, worked as a new home consultant for a real estate developer, and served on the board of directors for the Beverly Ridge Homeowners’ Association, a civic association that represents and promotes the civic affairs for over 1,000 households in the association’s boundaries.
His latest book, The Homeowner's Guide to Contracting, Building, and Remodeling: Save a Fortune by Learning What Contractors Don't Want You to Know, details how Joe acted as his own general contractor in the renovation and building of an addition onto his 1929 Spanish Revival home. The book details the renovation and construction process and explains how he was able to reinvest the money he saved by not using a general contractor back into the home. The book was written as a "how-to" guide for other homeowners interested in saving money without sacrificing quality in a renovation or construction project.
Joe has been interviewed on local and national television and radio shows, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Beverly Hills Tennis Club, and continues to give presentations about the neighborhood to local community groups.
For questions, comments, or additional information please contact Joe Oswald at joe@joeoswald.com.