Latin School of Chicago

UP FRONT 2011 Retirees: Gregg Hoffenkamp A year or so ago, longtime Latin upper school teacher Gregg Hoffenkamp decided he was ready to retire. Well, mostly ready. Maybe. Two things were certain, anyway: First, "Teaching at Latin School for 23 years was one of the most broadening and exciting periods of my life." Gregg Hoffenkamp Hoffenkamp, who began teaching Latin language at Latin in 1988 and co-founded the decade-long multidisciplinary Humanities program was eager to embrace a more leisurely lifestyle. "I had been teaching five classes and sitting in on a few more, and things just got a little bit crazy," he said. "I'd just turned 63, and I wanted to slow down." Second, he wanted to spend more time sailing. "When I told (fellow Latin faculty member) Ingrid (Dorer Fitzpatrick) I was planning to retire, she just looked at me and said, 'Why don't you go slowly – try easing into it.'" His longtime friend (and five-time co-leader of the Latin in Rome summer program) "knew it wouldn't be easy for me to just suddenly stop working, especially after 30-some years of teaching full-time," Hoffenkamp said. "So I thought: Maybe I should semi-retire." And so he did. Hoffenkamp accepted an adjunct position teaching one Latin class at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, and immediately began planning his next big sailing trip. In Chicago, Hoffenkamp's time on the water was extremely limited. "I lived on my sailboat all summer long – all two and half months of it, anyway – up in Duluth, Minnesota." Living in Texas may mean sweating out the summer months, but the trade-off is glorious, Hoffenkamp said. "It's like Chicago, only reversed. You stay inside during the summer." Most importantly, the southern climate affords him the luxury of year-round sailing. In a few years, he said, he hopes to be living on his boat full-time. In the interim, he's plotting various sailing adventures. "One day," he said, "it's not impossible that I might try a transatlantic passage." For now, Hoffenkamp is more than satisfied with his local waterways, which include nearby Canyon Lake and the Gulf of Mexico, which is about two hours away. And he continues to dance the Argentine tango. He recalls his time at Latin with great fondness. "Teaching at Latin School for 23 years was one of the most broadening and exciting periods of my life, and I will always owe a lot to the school," he said. He calls his teaching experience "pure, sheer and exciting delight." Among his favorite Latin memories: daily classroom time and Project Weeks, the Rome summer program and research trips to Great Britain's museums, universities and libraries. But in the end, Hoffenkamp said, it was the people – particularly Dr. Richard Dolezal, whom he calls "an inspiration in my life," and "so many creative and dedicated colleagues and students" – who made his time at Latin so special. So while Hoffenkamp is clearly thrilled about his new life in Texas, he will admit to missing Chicago – and Latin in particular. "All my friends are up there," he said of Chicago. "I keep sending emails and funny Texas pictures, so I've been staying in touch. I'll definitely be back to visit. Absolutely." l 12 Latin Magazine

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