Boston Latin School - Liber Actorum Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Our Desideratum Is The Versatility “That perfection of the intellect, which is the result of education, and its BEAU IDEAL, to be imparted to individuals in their re- spective measures, is the clear, calm, accurate vision and compre- hension of all things, as far as the finite mind can embrace them, each in its place, and with its own characteristics upon it. It is almost prophetic from its knowledge of history . . . 6

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JULIUS FINN Mr. Finn is another master to whom we must say “Ave atque vale” as he retires after many years at Latin School. A native of Boston, he attended English High School, and went on to receive his A.B. from Tufts University. He also obtained an A. M. at Columbia University and did post-graduate work at Har- vard University before coming to B. L.S. As a teacher of English — which he describes as a social science, a complete understanding of which is necessary to appreciate life properly and to develop in society — Mr. Finn has served the school long and well. He tells us that he chose teach- ing as his life’s work because, in the words of Justice Oliver Wen- dell Holmes, “To function is to live.” True functioning in life, he believes, comes from gaining and imparting knowledge. In this capacity, Mr. Finn has “functioned”, in his many years at Boston Latin School, as one of those by whom the school’s ideals have been kept alive. For Exemplifying J. STEPHEN PATTEN Mr. Patten this year concludes his many years as a member of Latin School’s Physical Education Department. Born in Cambridge, he gradu- ated from Somerville High School in 1921 and went on to obtain his A.B. at Boston College and his Ed.M. at Harvard University. He coached basketball at Bev- erly High School from 1928 to 1931, and at Newman Prepara- tory School from 1946 to 1952. He also taught chemistry for a time at Dorchester High School. Coming to B.L.S. in 1934, Mr. Patten served as the school’s bas- ketball coach when the sport was restarted in 1944, and continued in that capacity until 1960. From 1960 to 1967 he was coach of track and baseball. Mr. Patten belittles criticism of the B.L.S. of 1967 : “Despite what anybody says, Latin hasn’t changed in thirty years.” It is through the efforts of men such as Mr. Patten that Boston Latin School has been able to maintain its outstanding reputation. ALBERT THOMPSON After thirty-seven consecutive years at Latin School, Mr. Thomp- son now enters the distinguished category of Masters Emeriti. A native of Boston, he gradu- ated from English High School in 1914, and received his B.S. from Boston University and his Ed.M. from Harvard University. He also studied for two summers at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology. During World War I, Mr. Thompson served as a technician in the Navy. He spent one year at Colt Memorial High School in Bristol, Rhode Island, and eight years at Belmont High School, the last three of them as Assist- ant Headmaster. He came to Lat- in School in 1930, and has been a member of its Science Depart- ment since that time. Mr. Thompson is glad to see that in this “space age” Latin School, with its classical tradi- tion, is “more than holding its own in competition with the lead- ing technical preparatory schools in the country.” Led on by men like Mr. Thomp- son, Boston Latin School has prospered by adjusting to chang- ing environments while maintain- ing its tradition of excellence. Tradition of Excellence 5

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MATHER of Intellect