Latin School of Chicago

Background: Latin students in the park. The New School Edwin S. Van Gorder III In June 1969, Headmaster John Graham, a much loved and respected figure, announced his retirement. The new school opened in the fall with an enrollment of 687 students under the leadership of Headmaster Edwin S. Van Gorder III. Van Gorder, 34, had a very different style from his predecessors. He strayed from traditional formality and encouraged both his students and teachers to debate openly and think creatively. Van Gorder also had a much more laissez-faire attitude to discipline. His policies were often controversial, especially with parents disturbed by declining formality and faculty who yearned for order. One of his most controversial actions, which is still mentioned by faculty and alumni today, was sending out a holiday card to the school community in which he and his family posed barefoot on a beach in Hawaii. At the same time, Van Gorder was a change agent for the positive. His goals of engaging students more with the world outside the classroom, interest in interdisciplinary learning and support for innovation in the academic program inspired his faculty and paved the way for some of the unique programming that is still enjoyed by students today. Academic Innovations Van Gorder established Latin's first summer program in the creative arts in 1970. Greg Baker started Project Week in 1972. Science teacher Susan Humphrey was hired in 1971, and groundwork began for Latin's first sex and health education program. The entire history curriculum was overhauled under Steve Sommers throughout the '70s, and Ingrid Dorer Fitzpatrick designed the Nazi Mind and Russian Revolutions courses in 1978 and 1979. Student outdoor experiences, which later evolved into retreats, also began near the end of the decade. "It was a generative time," said Susan Humphrey of the '70s at Latin. "I had never imagined myself teaching at an independent school and was doing a favor for a friend who was pregnant and planning to leave, when "I was a little bit of a wild child and spent a lot of time in the halls after being kicked out of class. I remember Dr. Dolezal was one of the few teachers I never got in trouble with. He was very calming and was always able to direct my energies in a positive direction. But generally, I spent a lot of time getting into trouble. Some things came easy for me, so I would get bored and disrupt class. Invariably, I would be sent to Mr. Graham's office. It was always quite intimidating, because right next to his office sat Mary Anne McFarlin. She was just a dragon lady. She never smiled and was always very severe with me – until the moment I graduated, when this woman turned to mush and was just lovely forever after. In any case, Mr. Graham was the quintessential headmaster. He always dressed in British fashion, sat in a big leather chair and spoke with a certain pomposity. He would explain to me what kind of school Latin was, what the expectations were and tell me I was disruptive. After a time, my friends and I came to realize that he had about three set lectures for these situations. After coming back from his office, we would often compare notes on which lecture we had gotten that day: one, two or three." – John Friedman '67 76 L AT I N M AGAZINE

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