LATIN: BACKGROUND

When I began my Latin studies in 1960, the following ditty was very popular with students who struggled with the seeming intricacies of the language:

Latin is a language

Dead as dead can be

First, it killed the Romans

Now, it’s killing me

Years later, I heard a second verse to the song:

All are dead who spoke it

All are dead who wrote it

All are dead who learned it

Lucky dead, they’ve earned it

Despite the intricacies of mastering declensions and conjugations and translating too many stories about Roman history, I loved Latin. I was an excellent student until I enrolled in a college course conducted entirely in Latin. I was not even eighteen years old and found myself in a class filled with Irish Christian brothers who were schooled in the language. Of course, I survived and continued my Latin studies -- moving to a study of church Latin. I wanted to major in Latin, but my first experience in a college class (and my father’s concern about the possibility of my being unemployed unless I became a priest) colored my decision. While I was walking down North Avenue in New Rochelle, I gazed at the sky and asked God to send me a sign. God was silent; I did believe, however, that the Creator inspired me to register English as my major.

Permit a bit of history of the program:

In 1950, Arthur Kent assumed the role as head of the junior school. In addition, one of his areas of expertise was teaching Latin. Mr. Kent looked the part of a schoolmaster -- his pipe screamed classicist. Older alumni have spun tales of his classes. To use the cliche, Mr. Kent was the stuff of legend. When he left Graland in 1970, the Latin program thrived under Peter Pactor, Diana Wilson, Bev Noia, and Chris DeAntoni.

For twenty years, I taught Latin part time and full time, depending on the needs of the school. The school canceled the program in 2014. That’s another story-- it won’t be told in these pages.