Great (Awful) teachers at Science
Eugene Holman
had were great, someŠ luckily a fewŠ were awful. Some I learned a lot from,
some taught courses that were a waste of my time and of the tax-payers'
money. I would like to use this opportunity to state that the best teacher
I had at Science or anywhere else was Mr. Karpf in social studies. His
wisdom, pedagogical skill, good humor, energy, gentlemanliness, and
sardonic sense of humor and of the absurd have left an indelible impression
on me.
At the risk of being sued for slander and defamation of character, I offer
this analysis of some of the teachers I had or knew well during my years at
Science (1958 - 1962) and my evaluation of them. Input from Sciencites of
earlier and later years, as well as from those who are able to tell us
something about the career trajectories of specific teachers, would be
interesting.
COMPETENT | INCOMPETENT
|
C Mr. Karpf (SS) | Mr. Falkenstein (SS)
I Mrs. Karlin (foreign langs.) | Mr. Henry (Phys Ed)
V Miss Levine (Math) | Mr. Tannenbaum (Math)
I Dr. Cohen (Math) | Mr. Hellman (Physics)
L Mr. Kleinsinger (Chem) | Mr. Heitner (Physics)
Miss Appelbaum (English) |
Mr. Cotter (English) |
Mr. Nover (foreign langs.) |
Mr. Bonacci (STL) |
Mr. Smith (foreign langs.) |
Mr. Beckenstein (phys. ed.) |
Mr. Meisel (phys. ed.) |
Mr. Luria (English) |
Mr. Heitner (SS) |
Dr. Dodes (Math) |
Mr. Werblow (Chem) |
Mrs. Davis (Math) |
Mrs. Eboli (Drafting) |
Mr. Bobrowsky (Biology) |
Mr. Rensin (Music) |
Mrs. Lawner (Music) |
Mrs. Giardina (For. langs.) |
Dr. Taffel (principal) |
Dr. Gordon (guidance) |
Ms. Poverny (guidance) |
________________________________________________________________
|
U |
N Dr. Baden (Biology) | Mrs. Berson (English)
C Mr. Landau (Physics) |
I Mr. Walsh (Chem) |
V Mr. Levitan (Math) |
I Mr. Muffson (for. langs.) |
L |
--
Regards,
Eugene Holman
Eugene Holman
Mr. Selinger (SS) |
________________________________________________________________
|
U |
N Dr. Baden (Biology) | Mrs. Berson (English)
C Mr. Landau (Physics) | (Some little schmuck of a physics
I Mr. Walsh (Chem) | teacher who used to stand around
V Mr. Levitan (Math) | the corridors on the first floor
I Mr. Muffson (for. langs.) | and hand out pink cards for infrac-
L | tions such as 'public displays of
affection')
--
Regards,
Eugene Holman
HankM219
>had were great, someŠ luckily a fewŠ were awful. Some I learned a lot from,
>some taught courses that were a waste of my time and of the tax-payers'
>money.
First of all, congratulations on your memory! Or did you study the yearbook in
order to make up your comprehensive list?
As for my nominees, the best was Abe Baumel in Physics. In fact he inspired me
to become a Physics major in college! However, that lasted exactly half a
semester, when I discovered that college-level physics required a level of math
that was way out of my league.
The worst...Walsh in Chemistry. What a miserable human being.
Hank...Class of 1967
Henry Maurer, Cherry Hill, NJ, USA
hank...@aol.com or hsma...@worldnet.att.net
Marlene Golden
Shaw- English
Berger- Chemistry
Ruderman- Math
Levinson- P.E. (I was never in his class, but I spent lots of time with him.
Those of you who remember him will know of what I speak.)
Awful:
Baden- He was a mouse bordering on a rat.
Any EEFMS out there?
Richard Golden
Any EEFMS out there?
Regards,
Richard Golden (My first reply went out under my wife's name- don't know why.)
NOn_cra...@pacbell.net
> Good memory! Add to the competent list (graduated in 1955):
> Levinson- P.E. (I was never in his class, but I spent lots of time with
> him. Those of you who remember him will know of what I speak.)
Mr. Levinson was in charge of the mis-fits (Hall Squad) and also taught
math back in the '50's. He brought the same dignity to his math class as he
did to PE and the track team ("Leave it alone. It'll grow by itself"). I've
also tried to remember the name of the English teacher I had who trashed a
story of mine because she didn't like the ending (many years later I read
Herman Hesse's "Magester Ludi" and found that even great writers let their
heroes die at the end). Whatever. Wait a minute. Was it Mrs. Schoenberg?
The memory is the second or third thing to go. I don't remember which.
--
Nick, formerly Cristofalo or Cristofalberg, Class of '52,
Retired in the San Fernando Valley (*&^)/
-------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ --------------------
Usenet for the Web
Sue Sandler
1) Mr. Greene downstairs teaching geometry--brought in his guitar
the last day of school and before Christmas and just played and
sang. If you didn't want to listen, you could leave. AND he
taught with excellence. Once won the Science Forum Six-Pack of
the Month.
2) Mrs. Cohen in Chemistry was the SWEETEST woman.
3) Mr. Patrick for English. "OK, fifteen minutes left, time for
movie trivia!"
4) I never had Mr. Schweidel for anything, but we all put up
with his bellowing at the end of each lunch period, "The period
is KA-PUTT!! Let's GO, let's GO, let's GO!" But you know
something? I miss that bowling-pin-shaped maniac!
5) Special mention to Ms. Elmoznino and Mr. Lippman, the bohemian
Social Studies teacher.
Social Studies teacher.
5) Special mention to Ms. Elmoznino and Mr. Lippman, the bohemian
Social Studies teacher.
(all those computers, and none for scheduling). It was not meant
to be, but she was very pretty, dignified, and soft-spoken. You
don't see THAT every day in a NYC school.
twice. Each time, I was transferred out of the class within days
(all those computers, and none for scheduling). It was not meant
to be, but she was very pretty, dignified, and soft-spoken. You
don't see THAT every day in a NYC school.
gr...@no-spam.twcny.rr.com
> 3) Mr. Patrick for English. "OK, fifteen minutes left, time for
> movie trivia!"
That's what was great about Mr. Patrick. I don't necessarily
remember movie trivia, but I do remember his fondness for movies.
It was great to watch movies like "Glory" and "Biloxi Blues" at
school.
Mrs. Reinhardt always had an interesting lesson, and often
she would let us decide what we wanted to discuss.
I also had the unfortunate experiences of Mrs. Geringer and
Mr. Beckett. Both were very miserable people with more of a
love for chiding us and speaking to us with condescension than
anything else. But hey, 50/50 isn't bad.
Greg H.
BassPlyr23
>with his bellowing at the end of each lunch period, "The period
>is KA-PUTT!! Let's GO, let's GO, let's GO!" But you know
>something? I miss that bowling-pin-shaped maniac!
I DID have Mr. Schweidel for senior social studies - the 20th-century American
history elective. Any teacher who would let me do my final project on a
history of The Who and their influence on rock music (and give me a 90 on it)
is okay in my book.
Eugene Holman
could those of you responding please indicate when you attended the school?
Even though I'm willing to read any message posted to this thread, I and
others can't relate to it properly if we don't know what era you are
talking about. For example, just about everybody who attended the school in
the 50's, 60's, and 70's would have known Mr. Karpf, Mr. Levitan, and Mr.
Cotter but you 1980s 1990s types don't know them (although I have heard
that there is a special award for excellence in Social Studies named after
the late Mr. Karpf). For better or worse - just about everybody who
attended the school from 1961 until the present knows who Mr. Walsh is. Dr.
Taffel in turn, is known as a warm, dapperly dressed, take-charge young man
to me, as a distant autocrat to those who attended the school in the mid
1970s, and as a legend to everyone else.
So, if we post more carefully, we can get a better idea about the dynamics
of teacher personalities in addition to which esoterica such as 'What the
heck is this Edwin Karpf Memorial Social Studies award that I just won?'
will be clarified. This is, I hope you will admit, more interesting than
postings that merely state that Miss B was a XXX, but Mr. Y flunked me.
--
Regards,
Eugene Holman '62 (attended Science 1958 - 1962)
David A Karr
>Dr. Taffel in turn, is known as a warm, dapperly dressed, take-charge
>young man to me, as a distant autocrat to those who attended the
>school in the mid 1970s,
I attended Science from 1975 to 1979, so I was there when Dr. Taffel
retired. I remember him as distant, but not as an autocrat. Science
was a far more free and open place when I arrived than when I left.
--
David A. Karr "Groups of guitars are on the way out, Mr. Epstein."
ka...@shore.net --Decca executive Dick Rowe, 1962
Mark Landis
Sue Sandler <71154...@CompuServe.COM> wrote in message
<#uG01ZBu#GA....@ntdwwaaw.compuserve.com>...
>Here are my votes for good or great teachers at
And here are mine, from a Class of '62 person:
The Good:
Mrs. Rockow (Math)- she was terrific just starting out in '62, and she's
still going strong almost 40 years later!
Mr. Heitner (Social Studies)- the resident, tough-minded radical
Mrs. Povereny (English)- good-hearted doesn't begin to describe her--and
she *loved* literature
Mrs. Hoffman (French)- an exceptionally nice woman, who got the job done,
and done well
Mr. Falkenstein (Social Studies)- have to take *strong* exception to
Eugene Holman's assessment; Mr.
Falkenstein was an inspiration for this kid who was pretty good in
math and science, but really *loved*
politics & history
Mr. Cotter (English)- always a twinkle in his eye, tremendous fun, and a
lot of learning going on as well
Mrs. Steindler (Chemistry)- not a real warm person in the classroom, but
competent as hell
Mr. Rudich (History & Development of Science)- one of the most useful
courses I ever took
Dr. Dodes (Computer Science)- one very impressive guy, though I sure
didn't love that damned 1620
The Okay:
Mrs. Cohen (Social Studies)- probably the most average teacher I ever had
Dr. Subarsky (Biology)- an awfully nice man, but he never made the
subject connect for me
Mr. Kaye (Physics)- he looked like Mephistopheles, but he acted more like
a guy named Mr. Kaye
Mr. Tannenbaum (Math)- I was stunned in browing through my yearbook to
find the following verse
in the poem Class 4-3 wrote for their class ad: "Mr. Tannenbaum gave
us little checks/(For which
our marks were partially to blame),/And there was something appealing
about girls' necks....."
I have to assume that the faculty censors thought that last line was
the students talking about
their own predilections; I can't imagine they'd knowingly have allowed
a reference to Mr. Tannenbaum's
little habit of rubbing the girls' necks as he stood behind them at
their desks).
The Ugly:
Mrs. Epstein (English)- what the hell was she so angry about?
Brrrrr....
Mrs. Burstein (French)- the single scariest woman I have ever met,
coming right up to the present day
Mr. Levitan (Math)- quite a feat to have an entire class sit paralyzed
in fear for an entire year ("Please, God,
let me not be the one he throws the chalk at today")
Eugene Holman
Karr) wrote:
> Eugene Holman <hol...@elo.helsinki.fi> wrote:
> >Dr. Taffel in turn, is known as a warm, dapperly dressed, take-charge
> >young man to me, as a distant autocrat to those who attended the
> >school in the mid 1970s,
>
> I attended Science from 1975 to 1979, so I was there when Dr. Taffel
> retired. I remember him as distant, but not as an autocrat. Science
> was a far more free and open place when I arrived than when I left.
>
>
Could you elaborate on this? I remember running into this viewpoint before
in this newsgroup, in addition to which I believe that the blame for this
development was regarded as largely the consequence os policies, decisions,
etc. implemented by Dr. Taffel himself.
When I attended Science (1958 to 1962) the school was neither free nor
open. We had dress codes (no collarless shirts for boys, no slacks [except
for exceptionally cold periods during the winter] or kilts for girls, no
shorts or jeans ever). Students were not allowed to leave the building
during school hours, there was a strict regime of hall passes. as well as a
discipline squad, run by Mr. Cotter, and a detetion room, run by Mr. Raye.
Discipline was never a real problem, although there were occasional pranks
(the worst being the infamous and nororious addition of 'Oh Baby' to the
school song during an Arista induction assembly). Students guilty of
'criminal' infractions such as holding hands while walking down the
corridor ['public display of affection' - VERBOTEN!!!] received 'pink
cards' and an invitation to discuss their transgression with Mr. Cotter,
and then to pay their debt to society by sitting a few detention sessions
before school.
More serious were 'political' infractions such as protesting the spirit and
the letter of the absurd nuclear attack drills we were regularly subjected
to. The received strategy for surviving a nuclear attack on New York City
was to crouch under the desk and not look out the window. Some students
were content to just protest the spirit of these Board of Education
mandated drills by wearing white armbands. I remember classmate Vicky
Ziegler as being particularly active in this area. Others protested the
letter, refusing to crouch under the desk or be evacuated to the bomb
shelter (= the '0' floor). Students of both persuasions were disciplined,
and the issue of the right to publicly express an opinion about these
drills divided both students and faculty. I remember my senior social
studies teacher, an elderly, courtly, but extremely sharp gentleman named
Mr. Selinger, discussing the issue and reminding us that Science had long
been divided by similar controversies by producing copies of the
*Congressional Record* from the early 1950s containing transcripts of the
inquisitions that he and several colleagues were subjected to when they
were called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American
Activities.
Eugene Holman
<MLa...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>
> Mr. Falkenstein (Social Studies)- have to take *strong* exception to
> Eugene Holman's assessment; Mr.
> Falkenstein was an inspiration for this kid who was pretty good in
> math and science, but really *loved*
> politics & history
I had Mr. Falkenstein for Social Studies, which at that time was devoted
to Economics, during my junior year.
I remember Mr. Falkenstein as an elderly, balding man, always dressed in a
dark suit, white shirt, and tie, probably in his early 60s, who evidently
no longer had the attention span he once had when younger. There is no
doubt in my mind that he had been a competent, perhaps excellent, teacher
in his time (although no match for Mr. Karpf), but during the 1960-1961
school year he would loose his way in sentences, forget peoples' names,
forget to collect homework or to return papers. Discussions in our
particular class, which happened to have the pulpits re-arranged into the
then fashionable interaction encouraging U-shape, happened to be dominated
by two or three extremely loquacious and knowledgeable students, two of
them being Joe Ehrlichster and Sheila Grinnell. Mr. Falkenstein was always
happy to give the floor to them and function as moderator. I seem to
remember him dozing off a few times.
He gave everybody who did their assignments reasonably competently grades
between 90 and 95; I think most of us felt we hadn't earned them, nor that
we ever really understood economics after a year of that talkfest. I had
become extremely interested in social studies, particularly in observing
the manners in which societies are necessarily the same types of systems,
although differing in details and emphasis - functionalist structuralism -
in my freshman year social studies class with Mr. Karpf. My sophomore year
teacher, Mrs. Gordon, who taught us 'World History', was also skillful at
pointing out the interconnection of seemingly unreleated facts, despite
her annoying habit of using 'that' as her hesitation word five or six
times per sentence. After these two, Mr. Falkenstein, good naturedly
ineffectual and outgunned by the students, was a disappointment. Luckily,
my senior year social studies teacher, Mr. Selinger, despite being
approximately the same age as Mr. Falkenstein, was sharp-witted,
knowledgeable, and a teacher who made considerable demands on us, demands
we were eager to fulfill as we made our way through the *Diplomatic
History of the United States*, learning, to our dismay but to his evident
delight, how the United States in its dealings with foreign nations has
habitually behaved arrogantly and iniquitously to friend and foe alike.
---
Regards,
Eugene Holman '62
David A Karr
>ka...@shore.net (David A Karr) wrote:
>> I attended Science from 1975 to 1979, so I was there when Dr. Taffel
>> retired. I remember him as distant, but not as an autocrat. Science
>> was a far more free and open place when I arrived than when I left.
>
>Could you elaborate on this? I remember running into this viewpoint before
>in this newsgroup, in addition to which I believe that the blame for this
>development was regarded as largely the consequence os policies, decisions,
>etc. implemented by Dr. Taffel himself.
I'm not sure what you mean. I don't recall needing a pass for
anything during the last couple of years of Dr. Taffel's
administration; his successor did institute some policies where passes
were required, but nothing like the system of dress codes, passes, and
detentions that my father could describe from the 1940s. Now, it may
be that the post-Taffel "crackdown" (such as it was) was in reaction
to abuses of the subtantial freedom we had in 1975, and so was an
indirect result of Dr. Taffel's policies, or did he somehow manage to
set these things in motion and then retire before the students noticed
the change?
By the way, I may have overstated the case by writing "far more free."
Even in 1979, students at Science had a lot more freedom than they did
in the 1940s, when my father suffered under dress codes, hall passes,
and detention.
>More serious were 'political' infractions such as protesting the spirit and
>the letter of the absurd nuclear attack drills we were regularly subjected
>to.
This reminds me that in the 1975-1976 school year (in the spring
IIRC), a teacher was dismissed (or whatever the precise term is;
essentially, he was told he would have no job there in the fall). A
student protest was organized, mainly (I think) because the teacher
was popular rather than because the reasons for dismissal were bad (I
don't remember, but I think it was a case of budget cuts and
seniority). As part of the protest, a large number of students--most
of the school, I think--cut their afternoon classes and assembled
outside the school.
Now, my point in bringing this up is that this protest was (at least
in my opinion) a lot less substantive and a lot more disruptive than
the protests you described--yet I don't recall any punishment for it,
other than that I suppose most of the students' parents subsequently
received a postcard, as parents did whenever a student was marked
absent from a class.
By the way, I remember doing those atom-bomb drills as late as the
third grade--I think at that time they'd substituted "stand in the
hallway away from glass" for "duck under your desk"--and I found them
not only as stupid as you imply, but rather frightening for a small
child as well. I figured that if the bomb fell we would all die
anyway, and the fact that we were drilling for it caused me to infer
that there was actually some significant likelihood of this happening.
Eugene Holman
<MLa...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>
> Mr. Falkenstein (Social Studies)- have to take *strong* exception to
> Eugene Holman's assessment; Mr.
> Falkenstein was an inspiration for this kid who was pretty good in
> math and science, but really *loved*
> politics & history
I had Mr. Falkenstein for Social Studies, which at that time was devoted
to Economics, during my junior year.
I remember Mr. Falkenstein as an elderly, balding man, always dressed in a
dark suit, white shirt, and tie, probably in his early 60s, who evidently
no longer had the attention span he once had when younger. There is no
doubt in my mind that he had been a competent, perhaps excellent, teacher
in his time (although no match for Mr. Karpf), but during the 1960-1961
school year he would loose his way in sentences, forget peoples' names,
forget to collect homework or to return papers. Discussions in our
particular class, which happened to have the pulpits re-arranged into the
then fashionable interaction encouraging U-shape, happened to be dominated
by two or three extremely loquacious and knowledgeable students, Joe
Ehrlichster Sheila Grinnell, and Michael Mahler. Mr. Falkenstein was always
David A Karr
>David A Karr <ka...@shore.net> wrote:
>>I'm not sure what you mean. I don't recall needing a pass for
>>anything during the last couple of years of Dr. Taffel's
>>administration; his successor did institute some policies where passes
>
Milton Kopelman, formerly chair of the biology department, IIRC,
but he wasn't the subject of this thread.
David A. Karr '79
Mark Landis
David S Chesler wrote in message ...
>In article <yrwa3.435$7X1.1...@news.shore.net>,
> I can't remember his name either!
> Two principals from 1938 to 1978, how many since?
Unless I'm missing someone who was acting principal for a year or so, only
three, I think:
Milton Kopelman
Vincent Galasso
Stanley Blumenstein (Class of '63, I believe)
Mark Landis
>In article <7kcb8b$3s7o$1...@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com>, "Mark Landis"
>I had Mr. Falkenstein for Social Studies, which at that time was devoted
>to Economics, during my junior year.
Half of the the junior year, anyway. First half, American History up to the
Civil War;
second half, Economics
Followed in the senior year by: First half, American History from the Civil
War on;
second half, Diplomatic History (a pretty odd choice, in many ways--I think
this has
since been replaced in the curriculum by a semester on the basics of
American
government: PIG (Participation in Government).
>I remember Mr. Falkenstein as an elderly, balding man, always dressed in a
>dark suit, white shirt, and tie, probably in his early 60s, who evidently
>no longer had the attention span he once had when younger. There is no
>doubt in my mind that he had been a competent, perhaps excellent, teacher
>in his time (although no match for Mr. Karpf), but during the 1960-1961
>school year he would loose his way in sentences, forget peoples' names,
>forget to collect homework or to return papers.
Boy, this really shows how subjective this enterprise is, at least to some
degree.
I would never have thought of Mr. Falkenstein as "elderly," and to me he
always
seemed quite energetic and focused. And this was 1961-1962, just a year
later.
Did he simply have an off-year with you? Or some incredible rebound with
me?
Or did we just perceive this man's teaching so differently? I have
absolutely no
memory of his getting lost in his sentences, forgetting people's names, or
forgetting
homework and papers.
> Discussions in our
>particular class, which happened to have the pulpits re-arranged into the
>then fashionable interaction encouraging U-shape, happened to be dominated
>by two or three extremely loquacious and knowledgeable students, Joe
>Ehrlichster Sheila Grinnell, and Michael Mahler. Mr. Falkenstein was always
>happy to give the floor to them and function as moderator. I seem to
>remember him dozing off a few times.
I can recall doing something like this in the second semester--diplomatic
history.
But the discussions were so lively and well-informed that I never really
gave any
thought to the possibility that this was a way for Mr. Falkenstein to shirk
his duties.
I certainly never saw him dozing.
>He gave everybody who did their assignments reasonably competently grades
>between 90 and 95; I think most of us felt we hadn't earned them, nor that
>we ever really understood economics after a year of that talkfest.
I wonder if he might just have been much stronger in diplomatic history than
he was
in economics? Perhaps that explains the divergence of our perceptions. I
do recall
getting good grades with him, but I don't recall feeling that I hadn't
earned them. Maybe
my superego wasn't sufficiently well-developed enough to make me feel
guilty? :-)
> I had
>become extremely interested in social studies, particularly in observing
>the manners in which societies are necessarily the same types of systems,
>although differing in details and emphasis - functionalist structuralism -
>in my freshman year social studies class with Mr. Karpf. My sophomore year
>teacher, Mrs. Gordon, who taught us 'World History', was also skillful at
>pointing out the interconnection of seemingly unreleated facts, despite
>her annoying habit of using 'that' as her hesitation word five or six
>times per sentence. After these two, Mr. Falkenstein, good naturedly
>ineffectual and outgunned by the students, was a disappointment.
I had had Mrs. Cohen, who was pretty much a dud, but in my junior year, I'd
had Mr. Heitner, who was excellent, so I wasn't simply comparing Mr.
Falkenstein
to bad teachers. Maybe somebody who had him in 1961-1962 could post and
confirm or refute my much more positive recollections of him? I'm really
curious
as to why we have such markedly different memories of this man.
Eugene Holman
<MLa...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> Eugene Holman wrote in message ...
> >In article <7kcb8b$3s7o$1...@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com>, "Mark Landis"
>
> >I had Mr. Falkenstein for Social Studies, which at that time was devoted
> >to Economics, during my junior year.
>
>
> Half of the the junior year, anyway. First half, American History up to the
> Civil War;
> second half, Economics
Right. Thanks for jarring my memory. The semester I am think of was the
spring term. If memory serves me correctly, Mr. Falkenstein took care of
the fall term with no problem. Reflecting back on that less satisfactory
spring term, I remember that one contributory factor was the physical
location. Mr. Falkenstein's room was on the south side of the school on the
third floor (the last one before the central staircase), and it was
extremely warm. I had social studies during the 4th period right before
lunch, and entering that room was often like entering a sauna. So, the
combination of the uncomfortable room, Mr. Falkenstein's evident lack of
interest in economics, and the three students who had a comment to make
about every point that was raised, plus my and many others' low blood sugar
from not having eaten anything since breakfast probably resulted in a
pretty awful set of circumstances. Now that I'm really dredging my memory I
also remember that there was also a major source of distraction for the
boys on the north side of the room opposite the windows - remember that Mr.
Falkenstein had the seats in the form of a U. This was a female student,
whose name I shall not mention, who, to put it demurely, had not learned to
sit like a lady. There was non-stop beaver shot for the entire period,
something which the boys on my side of the room were well aware of and
about which many comments were made.
Thinking of low blood sugar, one difficulty I had at Science was that there
was no possibility of having a snack between classes. I commuted from
south-eastern Queens and had to leave home no later than 6:15 to make it to
class at 8:00. One year my lunch period was the seventh one - something
like 1:30 - and I remember sometimes being physically ill both before and
immediately after lunch - not because of the food, which I thought was
generally good and well prepared, but beuase of the pangs of hunger I felt
before, and the rush that the warm meal caused afterwards.
>
> I had had Mrs. Cohen, who was pretty much a dud, but in my junior year, I'd
> had Mr. Heitner, who was excellent,
I remember that his classroom had the following saying over the blackboard:
"History is bunk." - Henry Ford
"It is not." - Mr. Heitner
> so I wasn't simply comparing Mr.
> Falkenstein
> to bad teachers. Maybe somebody who had him in 1961-1962 could post and
> confirm or refute my much more positive recollections of him? I'm really
> curious
> as to why we have such markedly different memories of this man.
Mr. Falkenstein was a gentleman and a high marker. The class I had with him
just happened to have the wrong mix of people in the wrong place at the
wrong time of day, in addition to subject matter that might not have been
his specialty. He was unable to deal with this particular set of
circumstances effectively. It wasn't a really bad class, but it was the
only time at Science that I felt that a social studies class was a
disappointment. And yes, I think economics is intrinsically interesting,
and I got a 90 something as my final grade.
--
Regards,
Eugene Holman
Eugene Holman
<MLa...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> Eugene Holman wrote in message ...
> >In article <7kcb8b$3s7o$1...@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com>, "Mark Landis"
>
> >I had Mr. Falkenstein for Social Studies, which at that time was devoted
> >to Economics, during my junior year.
>
>
> Half of the the junior year, anyway. First half, American History up to the
> Civil War;
> second half, Economics
Right. Thanks for jarring my memory. The semester I am thinking of was the
spring term. If memory serves me correctly, Mr. Falkenstein took care of
the fall term with no problem. Reflecting back on that less than satisfactory
spring term, I remember that one contributory factor was the physical
location. Mr. Falkenstein's room was on the south side of the school on the
third floor (the last one before the central staircase), and it was
extremely warm. I had social studies during the 4th period right before
lunch, and entering that room was often like entering a sauna. So, the
combination of the uncomfortable room, Mr. Falkenstein's evident lack of
interest in economics, and the three students who had a comment to make
about every point that was raised, plus my and many others' low blood sugar
from not having eaten anything since breakfast probably resulted in a
pretty awful set of circumstances. Now that I'm really dredging my memory, I
also remember that there was also a major source of distraction for the
boys on the north side of the room opposite the windows - remember that Mr.
Falkenstein had the seats in the form of a U. This was a female student,
whose name I shall not mention, who, to put it demurely, had not learned to
sit like a lady. There was non-stop beaver shot for the entire period,
something which the boys on my side of the room were well aware of and
about which many comments were made. Funny that I have never, ever
mentioned this before now.
Thinking of low blood sugar, one difficulty I had at Science was that there
was no possibility of having a snack between classes. I commuted from
south-eastern Queens and had to leave home no later than 6:15 to make it to
class at 8:00. One year my lunch period was the seventh one - something
like 1:30 - and I remember sometimes being physically ill both before and
immediately after lunch - not because of the food, which I thought was
generally good and well prepared, but because of the pangs of hunger I felt
bern21
me to get 100% on the Geometry Regents by noticing that my grades had fallen
off while I devoted myself to playing the banjo), and Mr. Muffson (a man
with a cutting and often self-deprecating sense of humor). To quiz a
student Muffson would say things like, "When you see Mr. Muffson standing at
the edge of a cliff, you say...." The student was supposed to reply,
"Jump!", in Spanish.
I did not consider any of these three uncivil. I felt that there were a few
assholes in my various classes who hated these men because they made them
think, study, and perform well academically. I use the lessons in pedagogy
these men taught me in my daily life as a teacher.
The teacher with whom I was a bit peeved was Mr. Cohen who taught history.
He told us that none of us would ever have an ORIGINAL THOUGHT! I worried
that he would be right (this is a bit of a philosophical quandary when you
think about the staggering output of thought over the duration of mankind's
existence). However, I believe that I have had one or more. I feel
fortunate that I have as yet been unable to review the past output of
mankind, so I figure that Mr. Cohen was wrong.
Burt Levine '62 (a VERY GOOD teacher in Los Angeles)
Eugene Holman <hol...@elo.helsinki.fi> wrote in message
news:holman-ya02408000...@news.helsinki.fi...
Eugene Holman
<ber...@ibm.net> wrote:
> Tops on my list are Dr. Baden (a SUPER teacher),
I don't deny that Dr. Victor Baden was a competent and dedicated teacher.
I seem to remember that he taught part time at CCNY in addition to
Science. I certainly knew a lot more about biology in June '60 than I did
in September '59. He set high standards for himself and us: "The issue is
not one of passing the biology regents, it's of how many points above 90
that you receive." What irritated me (and many others) about Dr. Baden
were is irritableness - he was not above humiliating students who answered
incorrectly or were reluctant to volunteer answers. Even worse was the
constant stream of sexist remarks that he spouted out as "humor". When a
female student would answer a question incorrectly, his stock answer was:
"Never argue with a woman, you just can't win." When he was frustrated, as
he often was, because the class failed to grasp a point, he would say:
"There's only one thing about biology that you really need to learn:
nature's strongest weapon is a woman's tears." The first time we heard
this it was mildly amusing, after the hundred and first time it no longer
was.
There was a discussion about Dr. Baden in this group a while back, and it
revealed that during the 1950s his two daughters, who were evidently
stacked and very manipulative with their sexuality, would create scenes
that made him the laughing stock of the school.
> Mr. Levitan (who 'inspired'
> me to get 100% on the Geometry Regents by noticing that my grades had fallen
> off while I devoted myself to playing the banjo),
I never had him as a teacher, but his bellowing manner of manipulating
people is one of my first memories from the Claremont Ave. Annex, where my
Science career began back in September, 1958. The Annex was a small and
friendly community. All of the teachers I remember from there - Mr.
Visner, Mr. Kotkin, Miss Poverny, Dr. Gorden, Mrs. Ashry, Mr. Cotter, Mrs.
Eboli, Mr. Bonacci, Mr. Karpf, Mr. Tannenbaum, Mr. Nover, Dr. Subarsky -
were kind and understanding people in addition to being moderately good to
excellent teachers. Mr. Levitan, bellowing like a drill sergeant and
always with a chip on his shoulder, was the glaring exception.
> and Mr. Muffson (a man
> with a cutting and often self-deprecating sense of humor).
I never had his as a teacher, but I remember his tall and awkward presence
during various drills and ceremonies. One of my friends who had him for
second year Spanish said that he had gobe so far as to import obscure
novels from Argentina for the students to read to ensure that they would
not cheat by reading their assignments in English. I don't know if this
was a story that got inflated or the truth, but it gave me a picture,
which my friend elaborated on, that the man was not a pleasant person.
> To quiz a
> student Muffson would say things like, "When you see Mr. Muffson standing at
> the edge of a cliff, you say...." The student was supposed to reply,
> "Jump!", in Spanish.
Okay. I'm happy to hear a different input about him, even if he was not a
person that I had to interact with regularly.
> I did not consider any of these three uncivil. I felt that there were a few
> assholes in my various classes who hated these men because they made them
> think, study, and perform well academically. I use the lessons in pedagogy
> these men taught me in my daily life as a teacher.
Would you be kind enough to share a few of these insights. Many of us who
follow this group are in teaching, and it would be futile to talk about
our own former teachers of some part of their techniques and personalities
did not rub off on us as practices to both emulate and avoid like the
plague.
>
> The teacher with whom I was a bit peeved was Mr. Cohen who taught history.
> He told us that none of us would ever have an ORIGINAL THOUGHT! I worried
> that he would be right (this is a bit of a philosophical quandary when you
> think about the staggering output of thought over the duration of mankind's
> existence). However, I believe that I have had one or more. I feel
> fortunate that I have as yet been unable to review the past output of
> mankind, so I figure that Mr. Cohen was wrong.
>
I agree.
------
Regards,
Eugene Holman
Eugene Holman
> Tops on my list are Dr. Baden (a SUPER teacher),
I don't deny that Dr. Victor Baden was a competent and dedicated teacher.
I seem to remember that he taught part time at CCNY in addition to
Science. I certainly knew a lot more about biology in June '60 than I did
in September '59. He set high standards for himself and us: "The issue is
not one of passing the biology regents, it's of how many points above 90
that you receive." What irritated me (and many others) about Dr. Baden
were is irritableness - he was not above humiliating students who answered
incorrectly or were reluctant to volunteer answers. Even worse was the
constant stream of sexist remarks that he spouted out as "humor". When a
female student would answer a question incorrectly, his stock answer was:
"Never argue with a woman, you just can't win." When he was frustrated, as
he often was, because the class failed to grasp a point, he would say:
"There's only one thing about biology that you really need to learn:
nature's strongest weapon is a woman's tears." The first time we heard
this it was mildly amusing, after the hundred and first time it no longer
was.
There was a discussion about Dr. Baden in this group a while back, and it
revealed that during the 1950s his two daughters, who were evidently
stacked and very manipulative with their sexuality, would create scenes
that made him the laughing stock of the school. This was before my time.
> Mr. Levitan (who 'inspired'
> me to get 100% on the Geometry Regents by noticing that my grades had fallen
> off while I devoted myself to playing the banjo),
I never had him as a teacher, but his bellowing manner of manipulating
people is one of my first memories from the Claremont Ave. Annex, where my
Science career began back in September, 1958. The Annex was a small and
friendly community. All of the teachers I remember from there - Mr.
Visner, Mr. Kotkin, Miss Poverny, Dr. Gorden, Mrs. Ashry, Mr. Cotter, Mrs.
Eboli, Mr. Bonacci, Mr. Karpf, Mr. Tannenbaum, Mr. Nover, Dr. Subarsky -
were kind and understanding people in addition to being moderately good to
excellent teachers. Mr. Levitan, bellowing like a drill sergeant and
always with a chip on his shoulder, was the glaring exception.
> and Mr. Muffson (a man
> with a cutting and often self-deprecating sense of humor).
I never had his as a teacher, but I remember his tall and awkward presence
during various drills and ceremonies. One of my friends who had him for
second year Spanish said that he had gone so far as to import obscure
novels from Argentina for the students to read to ensure that they would
not cheat by reading their assignments in English. I don't know if this
was a story that got inflated or the truth, but it gave me a picture,
which my friend elaborated on, that the man was not a pleasant person.
> To quiz a
> student Muffson would say things like, "When you see Mr. Muffson standing at
> the edge of a cliff, you say...." The student was supposed to reply,
> "Jump!", in Spanish.
Okay. I'm happy to hear a different input about him, even if he was not a
person that I had to interact with regularly.
> I did not consider any of these three uncivil. I felt that there were a few
> assholes in my various classes who hated these men because they made them
> think, study, and perform well academically. I use the lessons in pedagogy
> these men taught me in my daily life as a teacher.
Would you be kind enough to share a few of these insights. Many of us who
follow this group are in teaching, and it would be futile to talk about
our own former teachers if some part of their techniques and personalities
did not rub off on us as practices to both emulate and avoid like the
plague. Thirty-five years from now our careers and idiosyncracies might be
being evaluated for all the world to see.
Adam K
new soph and thought him a bit of a wiseguy. His favorite sayings in
1987 were, "Let's run that up the flagpole and see who salutes it," and,
"Does anybody have any Ex-Lax?" He used to laugh and jeer at wrong
answers, and by God it made you double-check your work lest you get
sucked into his vortex. Overall, I knew better teachers, but certainly
there were worse.
Mrs. Engel was probably the most bizarre, consumed, and marginally
attached teacher I have ever experienced, within Science or outside.
Her constant emphasis on her unique form over function was absolutely
out of place in a math classroom. We were high school students, but she
taught with the perkiness and innocence of a kindergarten teacher, and
forced us to play the game -- making us do our homework in pastel
colors, not moving her beloved flower vase although we couldn't see the
black (green) board, constantly befuddling herself and making us follow
her around in circles. AAARGH!
David Orlow (STL -- woodshop for those who don't remember) was one of
the most engaging old men in that school. He would threaten to "Whack
you in the ass with a piece of wood" if you didn't know the answer to a
question. He was a corny, yet very involved human being who knew how to
relate to us, and we showed the same respect to him.
Mr. Goldman (Social Studies) was someone who was under-appreciated.
Back then, he was an obstacle to happiness. I wish I took his classes
over.
Other good teachers included Mrs. Bloom (Social Studies), Mrs. Lasky
(Math), Dr. Kornblau (Chem), Mr. Klinger (GMO), Mrs. Gewirtz (Social
Studies), Mr. Taylor (Bio), Mrs. Candullo (Spanish), Mr. Diamente (Mech.
Drafting), Mrs. Geringer (English).
gr...@no-spam.twcny.rr.com
> Mrs. Engel was probably the most bizarre, consumed, and marginally
I'll say. I had the unfortunate occcurrence of having my entire
schedule changed less than one month after beginning my freshman year
including my homeroom. It seems we had a sudden influx of additional
students, so they had to move some people around. While that got me
out of Dr. Maskin's Global Studies class, it put me into Ms. Engel's
(it was never Mrs.) Geometry class. I was almost in shock how Bronx
Science could have such a loon for a math teacher. "SQS" and "colors"
are two words that still make me cringe. She prided herself on her
"Students Questioning Students" practice, and she even won a few awards
and recognition for it. All I can remember is being told by another
student, "more enthusiastically, please," while I was answering a question.
Nothing against that student, because she was playing the game, but it
had to be the lamest thing I ever heard a kid say to another. Like
Adam said, it was more like a kindergarten class than anything else.
Then there were the "colors." Instead of concentrating on learning the
material, I had to dick around with my box of colored pencils drawing
diagrams more elaborate than the textbook. After a while, I just started
doing each entire homework problem in a different color. The old bat
didn't even know the difference. Incidentally, my grade on the regents
for Geometry was the lowest of the three. The flower vase was well-known.
In fact, she had two; one for the flowers and the other she used as a
drinking glass. She had a student fill up both in the drinking fountain
for her. There were rumors that people clapped the erasers over her
drinking glass or worse -- dipped it in the toilet bowl. I have to say
that without joking around about things in that circus of a classroom,
I don't think I would have made it through the year without turning into
her. I understand that she was forced to retire a couple of years ago.
> Drafting), Mrs. Geringer (English).
I don't have too much to say about her, but all I remember was that
her class wasn't exactly pleasant. I had her for freshman year English.
I don't remember why, but I do recall her always speaking to me with an
air of condescension. I think her husband was rather wealthy, but I could
be wrong. She lived in a somewhat upscale neighborhood in Manhattan, I
think, and liked to rub it in here and there. She had her favorites in
the class and we all know how teachers like that are.
Greg Hebel '94
Jack Gostl
Rockow? Was I the only one who flipped out over her 10th grade geometry
class.
Mr. Muffson.... the only time I ever enjoyed a foreign language class.
Mrs. Berson.... incompetent doesn't cover it. Sadistic comes closer.
--
Jack Gostl go...@argoscomp.com
Mark Landis
Jack Gostl wrote in message ...
>How did we get through this entire thread without mentioning Barbara
>Rockow? Was I the only one who flipped out over her 10th grade geometry
>class.
"Flipped out" is sort of ambiguous. Not sure if you thought she was good or
bad.
She was on the list I posted of my teachers. I had her for 10th grade
geometry
back in 1959-60, which I think was her first year of teaching, and I thought
she
was excellent--clear, to the point, fair. She was a bit stern, but I think
that because
she was so young, she felt she had to establish her authority quickly and
decisively.
I dropped in to say hello to her back in 1992, when my older daughter
started at
Science and the time came for parent conferences. She was very friendly,
though
it must have made her feel a little old to have a middle-aged person walk in
on her
and announce that she had been one of your teachers.
Last I checked, she was still going strong, which would mean that she's
heading
into her 40th year at the same old stand. I thought she was excellent at
the time I
had her, and in retrospect, given that she was just starting out, I have to
express
even greater admiration for the superb job she did. Wish they'd all been
like her,
but I too had a couple of sadists over the years.
Eugene Holman
<MLa...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>
> I dropped in to say hello to her back in 1992, when my older daughter
> started at
> Science and the time came for parent conferences. She was very friendly,
> though
> it must have made her feel a little old to have a middle-aged person walk in
> on her
> and announce that she had been one of your teachers.
>
Did she recognize you? By my own account I've taught more than 10,000
students. Living in a much smaller city and country, I run into former
students quite often. Sometimes I don't recognize them at all - they greet
me and tell me how I was their teacher 25 years ago - sometimes I remember
their names, what class they had, and all kinds of curious details about
them like a clever remark or brilliant examination answer.
Joe Cotter remembered my name and some things about me when I last met him
ten years after I had been in his class.
--
Regards,
Eugene Holman
Mark Landis
Eugene Holman wrote in message ...
No, she didn't recognize me. I'd have been astounded if she had. I was
13-14 years
old when I was in her class, and 46 when I dropped in on her during the
evening
reserved for parent-teacher conferences. Actually, her question as I walked
in was
"Do you have a child in my class?" To which I replied, "No, but I *was* a
child in your
class."
I suppose she might have remembered me had I been one of the super-star math
geniuses the school produced in pretty good numbers, but after thirty years,
how
many faces of just good, competent math students could she possibly recall?
I'm also a teacher and I guess my single most embarassing story along these
lines
involved my bumping into a former student, shopping with his mother in a
department
store, just a couple of years after he'd been in my class. I immediately
recognized him
and remembered his name. He seemed vaguely to recognize me, but had no idea
what
my name was. Talk about making no impression!
Sasquatch
161.iap.bryant.webtv.net>:
<snip>
>Mrs. Engel was probably the most bizarre, consumed, and marginally
>attached teacher I have ever experienced, within Science or outside.
<snip>
Ye ghods, are you trying to give me nightmares? I remember psycho-woman all too
well. I also remember the prank some friends and I were planning on playing on
her. In order to recreate the rumoured "Ms. Engel flips out, rips off her
clothes and runs down the hall screaming" episode, we were going to nail all of
the desks to the ceiling and get all the students to actually sit in them. Of
course, it never panned out. Ah well ...
>David Orlow (STL -- woodshop for those who don't remember) was one of
>the most engaging old men in that school. He would threaten to "Whack
Never had him. Instead, I got Brownman, who once supposedly told a friend of
mine "Sit on my hand and I'll give you an A" ... nice guy. Anyone still have
their Strobe Light/Light Organ/whatever the third choice was?
<snip>
And ... just cause I know you're dying to know, here's my list:
Saints-in-the-running:
Mr. Segal (Bio) - Can't remember what made him special.
Mr. Markman (Soc.) - Still one of the best teachers I've ever had.
Ms. Martin (French) - Would have taken 3rd yr for the third time if not for
her. I hated French, but was stuck with it.
Mr. Schlussel (Art) - Really nice guy.
Also-Rans:
Ms. Tornello (Bio) - Most vivid memory involves the way a classmate used to
call for her attention in a very very very heavy Queens
accent.
Mr. Peyros (Physics) - I sucked at Physics, but he was a good guy.
Mr. Furst (Soc.) - I once counted something like 220 "um"s in one period. He
deserves to be here just based on that.
Ms. Elmoznino (Eng.?) - Yes, Ms. Elmoznino, I got to read Dante in college ...
Mr. Puusep (CAD) - Still the only computer class I've ever taken ... and damn
proud of it.
Spawn of Satan:
Mr. Walsh (Chem) - That's right, leave the class so you can go "wet your
whistle"
Ms. Engel (Math) - Psycho. Nuff said.
Mr. David (Phys. Ed.) - Ya know, I'm still not sure if I ever got credit for
Sr. Phys. Ed. Ah well ...
--Sasquatch (aka Orion Tremaine, aka Hugh Riley, Class of '87)
"And I thought 'Reverend Billy ...', you know, which is good 'cause when I
think 'Reverend Debra ...', that's another set of problems altogether."
-- Rev. Billy C. Wirtz
Greg H
> her. In order to recreate the rumoured "Ms. Engel flips out, rips off her
> clothes and runs down the hall screaming" episode, we were going to nail all of
Heh. You know, I wonder how far back this rumor really goes.
> Mr. Schlussel (Art) - Really nice guy.
Never had him for art, but I remember he was irritatingly effeminate.
> Ms. Tornello (Bio) - Most vivid memory involves the way a classmate used to
> call for her attention in a very very very heavy Queens
> accent.
Ms. Engel had her sit in on a few of her classes for some unknown
reason. Very nice lady.
> Mr. Peyros (Physics) - I sucked at Physics, but he was a good guy.
He should have been teaching AP Phsyics C (with Calculus) rather than
Mr. Besel.
> Mr. Puusep (CAD) - Still the only computer class I've ever taken ... and damn
> proud of it.
Very nice guy. One of my most enjoyable classes.
Greg Hebel '94
--
ROT-13 encoded email address: te...@gjpal.ee.pbz
dresche...@gmail.com
Eugene Holman's Mr Falkenstein bears as much resemblance to the teacher whose classes I attended in 1948, as is Mary Shelly's Dr Frankenstein. A man who had flown over "the Hump" to ChungKing during World War II; who knew more East Asian languages than all other high school teachers at Science combined; who could hold our attention with diagrams of the ancient Egyptian irrigation Shadouf as easily as the weaponry of the Hittites and the origins of the crusaders war cry; who, I believe was honored by Yale for his teaching; was inspiring not incompetent.
Seymour Drescher
On Sunday, June 13, 1999 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Eugene Holman wrote:
> Looking back on my Science experience, I find that some of the teachers I
> had were great, someŠ luckily a fewŠ were awful. Some I learned a lot from,
> some taught courses that were a waste of my time and of the tax-payers'
> money. I would like to use this opportunity to state that the best teacher
> I had at Science or anywhere else was Mr. Karpf in social studies. His
> wisdom, pedagogical skill, good humor, energy, gentlemanliness, and
> sardonic sense of humor and of the absurd have left an indelible impression
> on me.
>
> At the risk of being sued for slander and defamation of character, I offer
> this analysis of some of the teachers I had or knew well during my years at
> Science (1958 - 1962) and my evaluation of them. Input from Sciencites of
> earlier and later years, as well as from those who are able to tell us
> something about the career trajectories of specific teachers, would be
> interesting.
>
>
> COMPETENT | INCOMPETENT
> |
> C Mr. Karpf (SS) | Mr. Falkenstein (SS)
> I Mrs. Karlin (foreign langs.) | Mr. Henry (Phys Ed)
> V Miss Levine (Math) | Mr. Tannenbaum (Math)
> I Dr. Cohen (Math) | Mr. Hellman (Physics)
> L Mr. Kleinsinger (Chem) | Mr. Heitner (Physics)
> Miss Appelbaum (English) |
> Mr. Cotter (English) |
> Mr. Nover (foreign langs.) |
> Mr. Bonacci (STL) |
> Mr. Smith (foreign langs.) |
> Mr. Beckenstein (phys. ed.) |
> Mr. Meisel (phys. ed.) |
> Mr. Luria (English) |
> Mr. Heitner (SS) |
> Dr. Dodes (Math) |
> Mr. Werblow (Chem) |
> Mrs. Davis (Math) |
> Mrs. Eboli (Drafting) |
> Mr. Bobrowsky (Biology) |
> Mr. Rensin (Music) |
> Mrs. Lawner (Music) |
> Mrs. Giardina (For. langs.) |
> Dr. Taffel (principal) |
> Dr. Gordon (guidance) |
> Ms. Poverny (guidance) |
> ________________________________________________________________
> |
> U |
> N Dr. Baden (Biology) | Mrs. Berson (English)
> C Mr. Landau (Physics) |
> I Mr. Walsh (Chem) |
> V Mr. Levitan (Math) |
> I Mr. Muffson (for. langs.) |
> L |
>
> --
> Regards,
> Eugene Holman
jfja...@gmail.com
> Eugene Holman's Mr Falkenstein bears as much resemblance to the teacher whose classes I attended in 1948, as is Mary Shelly's Dr Frankenstein. A man who had flown over "the Hump" to ChungKing during World War II; who knew more East Asian languages than all other high school teachers at Science combined; who could hold our attention with diagrams of the ancient Egyptian irrigation Shadouf as easily as the weaponry of the Hittites and the origins of the crusaders war cry; who, I believe was honored by Yale for his teaching; was inspiring not incompetent.
>
> Seymour Drescher
>
I think were were in the same class at Science, along with Marty Garbus and Robert Burton.
-Judy Frank Jablow
boustro...@gmail.com
Ira L. Jacobson
Class of 1957
Ira L. Jacobson
> David S Chesler wrote in message ...
> >In article <yrwa3.435$7...1.....@news.s..re.net>,
> > I can't remember his name either!
> > Two principals from 1938 to 1978, how many since?
>
>
> Unless I'm missing someone who was acting principal for a year or so, only
> three, I think:
>
> Milton Kopelman
> Vincent Galasso
> Stanley Blumenstein (Class of '63, I believe)
jsve...@gmail.com
Part of his success was his evident enjoyment of sharing anecdotes from his life, and opening a window for his students to look in on his past. He was charming and captivating. I still remember his stories about blackout evening in the Village during WWII as well as I recall his tales about service in China.
A great man and a great teacher. Let no one speak ill of him.
