Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/246730
Linda O'Keeffe Athletics Assistant YEARS OF SERVICE 1986-2013 If you've ever wondered how many baby blankets Linda O'Keeffe has crocheted during her time at Latin, you're not alone. Curiosity peaked in 2013, as O'Keeffe made preparations for retirement, and a count was undertaken. The answer, according to O'Keeffe herself, is 48. Forty-eight baby blankets for Latin faculty and staff members – and their lucky offspring. It sounds like quite an undertaking, but O'Keeffe insisted the work is minimal compared to the reward. "They're baby blankets, so they're small," said O'Keeffe. How long does each blanket take to create? "They're not full-bed blankets, so they each take me about a month or so," she said. She gets in a bit of extra time on the days her husband drives her to Latin from their home in Portage Park. "He doesn't like me to criticize his driving, so I keep busy with my crocheting. That gives me 35 or 40 minutes." She generally works in soft pastels, but if an expectant parent requests a particular color, usually to match the nursery, she's happy to oblige. Prior to her arrival at Latin in 1986, O'Keeffe worked at an inner-city parochial school. It took her about a year, working part-time, to acclimate completely to the Latin culture. "Walking into Latin and seeing a reception desk – that was very different from what I'd experienced at my previous school," she said. She initially worked at reception, then moved into maintenance and eventually the Athletics Department, where, as athletics assistant, she tackled jobs ranging from coordinating team transportation to managing Chicago Park District permits and planning athletic banquets. It's been an eventful career, and O'Keeffe said she'll miss the Latin faculty and staff, who were "so gentle with me as I was learning all those years ago." But she'll particularly miss the students. "They're so neat," she said. "When I was their age, I wasn't nearly as gifted or vocal as they are, and I didn't have the confidence you see in them." She remains close to members of her daughter's high school class ('92). "It's wonderful to see the kind of adults they've turned into." She plans to play her retirement by ear, she said, although she does hope to return to school – this time as a student. "I'd like to earn a certificate in early childhood development," she said. "I'm thinking about possibly working part-time in daycare." It would be a return to the work that launched her career when she graduated high school. And she'd be in the company of her favorite age group: 2-year-olds. "I love them," she said. "They don't talk back." "When I was their age, I wasn't nearly as gifted or vocal as they are, and I didn't have the confidence you see in them." LATI N SCHOOL OF CHI CA GO 21