Horace Mann - Summer 2016 - 6

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor: 6 In reading the spring 2015 Horace Mann Magazine, I noticed that three of my former teachers, Erwin Muscat, Edward Simpson, and Lyall Dean had passed and were memorialized in the issue. Mr. Muscat made earth science fun. He was a light switch of energy whether discussing the periodic table, optics or sedimentary rocks. However, the quintessential touchstone of his class worth remembering was: the "thousand words" assignment. Anyone who misbehaved in his class was assigned a thousand-word paper on the topic of his or her choice, as long as it had something to do with science or a particular scientist. Nearly every mouthy student knew when to draw the line rather than hear Mr. Muscat pointedly say his or her last name followed by the dreaded "a thousand words." Mr. Simpson was my teacher for eighth-grade English, and I remember only his booming, authoritative voice, and his admonition to go to bed on time, which he felt for eighth-graders was 8 p.m. the previous night. Mr. Dean was captured correctly by William Winokur '78, and I laughed because I had the same experience. I too had handed in my first math test, confident that I had received 100 percent, only to have it returned to me with, I believe, a grade of 32. For you see, I had done all the calculations in my head, and had not shown my work on the test paper. I commend Mr. Winokur for persevering with Mr. Dean and building a friendship with a man who was obviously more feared, than loved. After my experience with Mr. Dean, I transferred to another teacher. I'm sure Mr. Dean was correct in his methods, because I have learned that it is in the repetition of calculating that one truly acquires the beauty of math. I managed to complete Calculus III in college, despite Mr. Dean's attempt to make a valid point on how one obtains knowledge and mastery. May their memories be a blessing. Sincerely, Daniel Wiseman '81 Passaic, New Jersey Horace Mann Magazine Summer 2016 To the Editor: Another fantastic issue. I was especially moved by the tribute to Lyall Dean by William Winokur. William notes that Mr. Dean began teaching at HM in 1971. But unless I am hallucinating, which is entirely possible, I could swear I was struggling with C's and worse in his class back in 1955. Could you please clarify. Best regards, Bob Block '57 CORRECTION: Several other alumni responded with calls about the memorial by William Winokur '78 for Mr. Dean, noting that while Winokur reported that "Mr. Dean began the first of his 36 years at HM in 1971..." in fact, Mr. Dean taught at Horace Mann School from September 1954 until he retired in 1990. We regret this error and send apologies to Mrs. Anne Dean. Horace Mann Magazine and the HM Alumni and Development Office appreciate receiving letters from alumni. The Office also receives calls and correspondence from outside the HM community, often from authors researching notable HM alumni. One such call came in summer 2011 from author John Roote, who was interested in the life of George Kates, a 1913 HM graduate. Kates was one of America's early sinologists and was best known for writing The Years That Were Fat, his acclaimed memoir of life in pre-Revolutionary Beijing. The Alumni and Development Office provided Mannikin pictures of Kates, and connected Roote with author Fergus Bordewich, who interviewed Kates for his own book Cathay before the alum's "charmed life ended in anonymity and genteel poverty" in 1990. The result is Roote's fascinating A Love Affair with Old Beijing: The Remarkable Story of George Kates (introduction by Bordewich) which became available on Kindle in 2015 and can be downloaded for free at http://epdflibrary.com/pdfl/free. php?asin=BO173T2GRU. It's an intriguing read. http://www.epdflibrary.com/pdf1/free.php?asin=BO173T2GRU http://www.epdflibrary.com/pdf1/free.php?asin=BO173T2GRU

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