Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/246730
Mayor Richard J. Daley dug the first shovel of dirt in the groundbreaking for the new building. 72 the board's support, famed developer Arthur Rubloff, who had built Sandburg, approached Daley and presented him with the idea of selling the land to Latin School for the new middle and upper school. Once the mayor approved, the Scott Street property was sold for $1.2 million and the new land purchased for $300,000. "Selling the Scott Street building and the bargain of the North and Clark property went a long way," Berger said. With intensified fundraising, especially targeting incoming Latin families, the board was able to hire respected architect Harry Weese and begin construction. The Chicago Daily News described the school's plans in detail: "The Latin School of Chicago, 75 years old, eminent in education, and crowded to capacity, is planning a building program that will benefit not only its students but the community as well. "For its upper school – now 59 E. Scott, for grades seven through 12 – Latin will erect a handsome new building at Clark and North, half a block from its lower school, at 1531 N. Dearborn. The expansion will enable Latin to increase its enrollment from 570 to 750, to provide modern facilities for teaching and recreation, and to enlarge its role in the city's life. The 4-story building will include a swimming pool, an auditorium, and its roof tennis courts beneath a plastic bubble, or dome [a part of the project that never happened]." L AT I N M AGAZINE For the next five years, Friedman frequently found himself in trouble with Headmaster John Graham concerning everything from wearing his tie too low and his pants too tight, to being disruptive in class. "I was not Graham's definition of what a Latin student should be," said Friedman. Nor, he believed, were many of his peers. According to Friedman, members of the Class of 1967 generally did not attend the Ivy Leagues or follow the paths that previous generations of Latin students had. Today, looking back, Friedman appreciates the academic foundation he received at Latin and the caring faculty, especially Dick Dolezal, but in some respects it took his later involvement as a parent and alumnus to feel a strong affection for the school. Rick Kogan '69, who came from his neighborhood elementary school to start seventh grade in 1963, also felt that he was entering a different world at Latin. To an extent, Kogan enjoyed the sheltered atmosphere of Scott Street. "Latin provided a kind of cocoon," said Kogan. "It wasn't a hotbed of radicalism. We were not likely to shut down Latin School to protest the war. We were conscious but not active. After all, we still wore coats and ties. The only rebellion was wearing blue jeans and knowing you would be sent home. I lived in Old Town, and that was really a hotbed for all sorts of radicals, so I think I encountered them more than most people at school did, but I never brought that into the classroom."