User:DanInKtown

The early 1950s were a completely different world. New Utrecht's large, excellent faculty mainly consisted of 2nd and 3rd generation Americans, whose ethnicity reflected the Bensonhurst and Boro Park that then were in New Utrecht's district. Sprinkled among the faculty were some teachers whose families had been in America for longer times. My career as an engineer owes much to two of the sprinkled-in teachers.

Mrs. Gloria Adams was one of two African Americans then teaching at New Utrecht. Mrs. Adams taught me Plane Geometry. My career debt to her is obvious. Mrs. Adams, by her example, made it obvious that some of the things my family had taught me were lies.

Miss Alice C. Grant was an excellent teacher, but my career debt to her is less obvious. Miss Grant had at various times chaired New Utrecht's Latin, German and Hebrew Departments. Years after she taught me, I took a post-graduate Computer Science course and discovered that the first engineering courses I ever had taken were Miss Grant's second and third year Latin courses.

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