Bertram J. Askwith (LSA 1931)

For weeks prior to the opening of Bert's Café, many students stopped at the Shapiro Library Circulation Desk to ask why the new café was to be called "Bert's." The answer was very simple. Bertram J. Askwith, best known as Bert, has made the cafe possible by providing a generous gift to the University of Michigan Library. His daughter, Patti Askwith Kenner, suggested the name "Bert's Café," and "See you at Bert's" soon became a familiar phrase on campus.

Bert attended the University of Michigan during the Great Depression at a time when most students could not afford the high railroad fare to New York City. So he rented a bus, called it CAMPUS COACH LINES, and sold tickets at the Michigan Union to other students. He was so successful that his business paid for his entire college education. After graduating in 1931, Bert moved his company to New York City where he and his daughter continue to operate it.