This obituary of a former Jesuit turned married (and apparently quite eccentric) Latin teacher caught my eye. Carl Wingate graduated from Notre Dame with a master's in biology, but spent 30+ years teaching Latin at a high school in Washington state. He translated 'Star Wars' into Latin and wore clothing he painted with religious and movie themed designs.
The first reason his extraordinary life interests me: it's a good example of how Classicists with varied backgrounds can make better teachers and colleagues. Have you been around a group of classicists lately? We can be a bit boring, not to mention neurotic. I understand why -- we've spent over a decade of our lives training for a job that, in many cases, can be taken away at any moment. We are afraid to think about anything besides classics, and sometimes we almost don't remember how to, because it's been so long. So maybe Carl can inspire us to chill a little.
The second reason he interests me is that I enjoy eccentric people and hope they are not a disappearing breed. Vexillum monstruosum tuum volet! (Let your freak flag fly!)
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