Latin School of Chicago

"The life changing event for me at Latin was when the IBM System 1620 Machine arrived next to the art room. (How could anyone place such a beast next to the art room?) The machine took me hostage. I recall Stephen (Hauser), Dick (Connette) and Ron (Pen) in the room, but only partly, because I was in a different world. One day, the beast died a slow death because some piece of metal fell off the typewriter ribbon and created a short. The mainframe sighed, and the discs came to a whining halt." According to Bob Chapman '78, by the time he was in middle school there was no avoiding the difficult issues of the day. Chapman remembered writing to President Nixon to protest the secret bombings in Cambodia in class, studying Watergate and listening to the music from Woodstock every time a teacher stepped out of the classroom. "We had an opportunity to learn about real events that were impacting the national consciousness," he said. Chapman, who described himself as quite studious, felt great respect for the work his teachers were doing in the classroom. At same time, he acknowledged that students generally felt disconnected from the school once they left the classroom. "When school was done it was done," said Chapman. "There weren't many after-school activities. Unless you were an athlete, at 3:15 you were told to get out of the building. It was only a place where you went to school, so Latin didn't play a role in students' lives like it does today." Chapman, however, believes the tide was turning by the time he graduated in 1978, and student cynicism was waning. As the '80s got under way and Headmaster Jonathan Slater arrived, a long period of stability and increased focus on building community and the student experience transformed the mood of the school, and the bitterness of the '60s and '70s gradually became a thing of the past. n – Erik Peterson '69, went on to get a degree in electrical engineering and worked in IT for many years. An article in the 1968 Alumni Bulletin reported on this historic moment: "Through a grant from the Lyle Spencer Foundation, The Latin School now has its own IBM System 1620 computer. The following comments are intended to explain the nature and goals of this new endeavor. "For several years the Headmaster and members of the faculty have had a growing interest in computers. This interest may be defined in two ways. Philosophically, computers have already had a great impact on the present generation of students. … In 1968 an average college sophomore, starting from scratch, can do in one afternoon all the work done at Los Alamos in a year and a half. "The 'Kennedy Generation,' which we are now educating, obviously is enormously influenced by the ability to control so much power. "As an institution with obligations to our students and to the community, Latin has a responsibility to make sure our graduates understand one of the most significant factors that will influence their lives. … Although preliminary use is associated with the mathematics and science departments, as soon as possible the computer will be made available to the entire student body, the faculty, and the near-by community." The underground student newspaper of the era was called The Affluent Drool. LATI N SCHOOL OF CHI CA GO 75

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