A mother’s love, a chance encounter: Patti Guzak’s 'The Not-So-Exciting Adventures of Tuxedo Man'

Sometimes, life doesn’t knock. It walks into your section at Topgolf.

On a warm spring afternoon in April 2025, Patti Guzak clocked in for what she thought would be just another shift at Topgolf Schaumburg. What she didn’t know? Fate had already reserved a bay for a chance meeting that would change the course of her life and bring Tuxedo Man from imagination to reality.

Originally assigned to the far end of the venue, baseball legend Randy Hundley, who was approaching his 83rd birthday, asked for a closer spot. Alongside him was John St. Augustine, radio legend and co-author of the bestselling book IRONMAN: Legendary Chicago Cubs Catcher, among many others. Their reassignment landed them squarely in “Patti’s Section.”

And just like that, everything changed.

“I was star-struck,” Guzak recalls. “A lifelong Cubs fan, seeing Randy Hundley in his Cubs hat, with his 2016 World Series ring, was unreal.”

As Hundley greeted fans, signed autographs and snapped photos, he casually asked Guzak if she owned a copy of his book. She didn’t, but that question sparked something unexpected.

“I’m an author,” she replied.

For Guzak, that sentence carried decades of perseverance. After a 30-year career in criminal justice, dedicated to reaching the “unreachable” and teaching the “unteachable,” her dream of becoming a published author had quietly lingered in the background.

Years earlier, as a single mom juggling two and sometimes three, jobs, she found inspiration in her own home. Her son, famous at school for wearing a tuxedo T-shirt on picture day, earned the nickname “Tuxedo Man.” That nickname became a spark.

Between shifts and sleepless nights, Guzak wrote a children’s manuscript featuring “Tuxedo Man” as a relatable hero navigating real-life challenges. But after receiving a discouraging rejection letter, she tucked the manuscript away, convinced it might never see the light of day.

Until that day at Topgolf.

Intrigued, St. Augustine asked to read her work and saw something special. He stepped in to help bring Guzak’s long-dormant dream to life.

Just seven months later, on November 29, 2025, Guzak officially launched her book, The Not-So-Exciting Adventures of Tuxedo Man.

And the response? Electric.

“The reviews are humbling and exciting,” Guzak says. “Seeing kids gain confidence and courage through Tuxedo Man, and hearing from parents and teachers about the meaningful conversations it inspires, makes it all worthwhile.”

Blending storytelling with social-emotional learning, the book empowers kids to see themselves as heroes, capes optional.

Its impact is already spreading. The book has been nominated in multiple school districts for the “One School, One Book” program, praised for its interactive format and real-world lessons. When one young reader was asked what she liked about the book, her answer was simple: “Everything.”

Today, Guzak’s story continues to grow. Her book is available online, alongside a line of “Tux-Merch” designed to remind kids and adults that heroism comes in many forms. She is also preparing for school visits, readings, and speaking engagements across the Chicago area in fall 2026.

And she’s giving back.

For every 100 new followers across her website and social channels, Guzak will give away a signed copy of her book, or donate one to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

Because sometimes, the most powerful stories don’t begin with a grand plan.

They begin with a chance encounter and the courage to say, “I’m an author.”

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