A captivating storyteller as well as local historian and scholar, John Gurda is acknowledged as the authority for questions surrounding the history of Wisconsin's largest city. Born in Milwaukee, Gurda has been studying his city for nearly 40 years. He is the author of The Making of Milwaukee, an exhaustive book on the history of the community. A five-hour Emmy Award-winning documentary based on his landmark book was broadcast by Milwaukee Public Television in 2006. Gurda is the author of nearly 20 books, on subjects as varied as life insurance, Frank Lloyd Wright, and historic cemeteries. In addition to his work as an author, Gurda is a lecturer, tour guide, and local history columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.