| May 2008 |
Q: A two-part question: When were the school and the Association founded (using Roman Numerals please)? |
A. School: MDCXXXV
Association: MDCCCXLIV
|
Winner: Guy Steele Jr. '72 |
| April 2008 |
Q. Where did the first Latin-English football game take place and why were the Latin players wearing red on that day and the English players in their traditional blue? |
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| March 2008 |
Q. Who is credited as the first mother/daughter legacy in BLS history? |
A. Donna (Walsh) Hannon '78 and Erin Hannon '98 |
Winner: Ellen Moy-Maneikis '78 |
| February 2008 |
Q. Which BLS head master, appointed while still a senior at Harvard, is credited with instituting misdemeanor marks and the practice of declamation, fostering the beginnings of a library and implementing the first regular reports of scholarship to parents? |
A.Benjamin Apthorp Gould, appointed head master in 1814 |
Winner: William J. Davis Jr. '78 |
| January 2008 |
Q. How many actual schoolhouses has Boston Latin School called "home"? Please provide the number, dates and locations of each. |
A: The number of schoolhouses is 7; 1645 - north side of School Street; 1704 - the present location of the statue of Benjamin Franklin (in Boston); 1748 - south side of School Street; 1812 - a new building of three stories was constructed on the site of its predecessor; 1844 - Bedford Street; 1881 - Warren Avenue; 1922 - Avenue Louis Pasteur
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Winner: Roy Seliber '77 |
| December 2007 |
Q. What Boston landmark did the BLS Boys help erect? |
A. Bunker Hill Monument |
Winner: Richard J. Morrison '70
|
| November 2007 |
Q. What are the words to the BLS Fight Song? |
A. On the field of many colors
Latin’s banners fly
Cheer on, cheer on roar of thunder
Echoes through the sky
See the Latin team advancing
Gaining more and more
So we'll fight, fight, fight, with all our might
Dear Old Latin ever more |
Winner: Brian Nolan '88 |
| October 2007 |
Q.
In what year did the official title of the yearly catalogue change from " Public Latin School " to the " Boston Latin School" Catalogue? |
A. 1949 |
Winner: Carl F. Seils '51 |
| September 2007 |
Q: Which head master, also a son of alma mater, is credited with establishing the Advanced Placement program giving many students the chance to receive credit for college courses on the freshman level? |
A. John J. Doyle '12 |
Winner: Lisa Allen Brown '95 |
| June 2007 |
Q: This Boston Latin School graduate was a prolific author of adventure books for young men. Among his books published by the D. Lothrup Company in Boston was this tale about the final year in high school of young Captain Burton of Company A, Boston Latin School Battalion. The author dedicated the book to Head Master Moses Merrill. Who was the author? |
A. Willis Boyd Allen, Class of 1868 |
Winner: Michael Caljouw '84 |
| May 2007 |
Q: Which BLS alumnus, chairman of the New York delegation, placed the name of William Seward in nomination at the 1860 Republican convention? When it became apparent on the third ballot that Lincoln would win, he urged the delegates to make the nomination unanimous. |
A: William Maxwell Evarts, Class of 1833, later U.S. Attorney General, Secretary of State and Senator from New York. |
Winner: Francois DiFolco '81 |
| April 2007 |
Q: Identify the structure, financed by BLS alumnus John Hancock and friends, designed and built by Lemuel Cox, that opened on June 17, 1786 (Hancock selected the date), and continued making money for its corporate owners until 1858.
|
A: The first bridge in America, it was, when built, the longest in the world. A drawbridge, it spanned the Charles River, connecting Boston and Charlestown. |
Winner:
Duncan O'Brien '78
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| March 2007 |
Q: In what year did the first official BLS prom take place? |
February 2007 | Q: Which BLS alumnus is credited with the first successful clinical use of cardiac pacing and the first successful use of external defibrillation? | A: Dr. Paul Zoll '28
| Winner:
Sarah Grandfield '99
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| January 2007
| Q: Which west coast alumnus is famous for inventing the first SMTP e-mail server and the Domain Name System?
| A: Paul Mockapetris '66 | Winner:
Laura DiAngelis ‘00 |
| December 2006 |
Q: Which Latin School alumnus/a gets credit for creating the Extracurricular Activities Fair at BLS? |
A: Kelly Gushue '95 |
Winner: Ronaldo "Rolo" Rauseo-Ricupero '00 |
November 2006
| Q: Which Latin School alumnus was killed-in-action while commanding the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) when the helicopter he piloted crashed while enroute to visit wounded troops in South Vietnam? He also served at the end of World War II and in the Korean War. This son of Alma Mater was one of the youngest major generals in the United States Army during his tenure.
| A:
Major General G. William Casey
| Winner:
Brian Pastore ‘04 |
| October 2006
| Q: A Boston Latin School and Harvard alumnus, he benefited from the patronage of Mrs. Jack (Isabella Stewart) Gardner and later became her principal advisor in collecting the art for her museum.
|
A:
Bernard Berenson, Class of 1881
| Winner:
Paul M.J. Suchecki ‘72 |
| September 2006
| Q: Which prominent BLS graduate remarked "…I have seen a murderer's head cut off with a two-handed sword with less shuddering abhorrence than filled my childish breast at witnessing certain public executions at the Latin School."
|
A: Charles William Eliot, class of 1849, who also served as president of Harvard from 1869-1909, the longest term as president in the university's history.
| Winner:
Spencer C. Sleeper '02 |
June 2006
| Q: What BLS alumnus was the founding director of one of the institutes that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is also the eponym for a human disease?
|
A: Lawrence E. Shulman '37, MD, PhD; Shulman Syndrome, also called eosinophilic fasciitis.
| Winner:
Ethan M. Shevach ’61 |
May 2006
| Q: What alumnus and former BLS language teacher of many talents played semi-pro baseball in the Boston Park League, and what was the team on which he played?
|
A:
Conrad Jameson, The Crosby Club
| Winner:
John Dooley ‘54 |
April 2006
| Q: A graduate of Boston Latin School and Harvard, this alumnus later returned to the school as usher, then as sub-master, master and senior master. He served longer at the school than any other, retiring at age 86 because the Boston School Committee instituted mandatory retirement at age 70. Who was he and when did he serve?
| A:
Charles J. Capen, 1852-1909 (57 years) |
Winner:
Walter F. Foley ‘73 |
| March 2006
| Q: Two answers, two parts: Name the
first Latin School alumnus to become Head Master AND the most recent. Include
terms served for extra credit!
| A:
Nathaniel Williams (1708-1734); Michael Contompasis '57
| Winner:
Paul M.J. Suchecki ‘72 |
| February 2006
| Q: Some of this 19th century artist's marble works are displayed in the Boston
Athenaeum, Brooklyn Museum, Memorial Hall at Harvard and the Capitol in
Washington, D.C.
| A:
Richard Saltonstall Greenough, Class of 1829
| Winner:
Duncan O’Brien ‘78 |
January 2006
| Q: Name the alumnus who played for New York Giants, Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves and later was a scout for the Boston Red Sox.
| A:
Fred Maguire '18
| Winner:
Joseph F. Flynn ‘62 |
December 2005
| Q: "Seated on the platform were the Committee on High Schools and invited guests, consisting of His Excellency John D. Long, Governor of Massachusetts; His Honor Frederick O. Prince, Mayor of Boston; Hon. Robert C. Winthrop; Rev. Ralph Waldo Emerson; Hon. Marshall P. Wilder; Prof. William B. Rogers, President of the Institute of Technology; Rev. Samuel K. Lothrop, D.D.; Rev. Phillips Brooks, D.D.; Rev. J. M. Manning, D.D.; Rev. George E. Ellis, D.D.; Rev. A. A. Miner, D.D.; Rev. Robert C. Waterston, D.D., President of the English High School Association; Hon. F. W. Lincoln, Hon. Jonathan A. Lane, Henry P. Kidder, Esq., Thomas Gaffield, Esq., Col. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Hon. Henry K. Oliver, Rev. George A. Thayer; Prof. Edwin P. Seaver, Superintendent of Schools; Charles K. Dillaway, Esq., President of the Latin School Association; Ex-Gov. William Gaston; George A. Clough, Esq., City Architect; The head masters of the Latin and English High Schools; members of the School Committee, city government and others."
What was the date, and what was the occasion?
| A:
The Dedication of the Public Latin and English High School House on February 22, 1881
| Winner:
Frederick H. Rabin ‘51 |
November 2005
| Q: "This 19th century man of letters and Boston Latin alumnus compiled a work in eight volumes that is still the standard reference for scholars in his field."
|
A:
Francis James Child, English & Scottish Ballads
| Winner:
Joseph M. Hooban ‘62 |
| October 2005
| Q: Who served as the first permanent dean of the United States Air Force Academy.
|
A:
Robert F. McDermott '37
| Winner:
Roselys Esteve ‘06 |
September 2005
| Q: In 1935 Henry Munroe Rogers said of this renowned Boston Latin School alumnus and former usher: "He could reform the rest of the world, but he could not reform this class [1858]."
|
A:
Phillips Brooks, Class of 1851
| Winner:
John Paul Russo ‘61 |
August 2005
| Q: As head of a commission appointed to evaluate a medical theory that challenged conventional wisdom, seeking a result that would be objectively demonstrable rather than subjectively debatable, this Latin School lad went on to devise the first blind test of a medical treatment
| A: Benjamin Franklin
| Winner: Kaitlyn Leahy '96
|
June 2005
|
Q:
Who was the BLS graduate that "Emerson considered to be the greatest teacher and orator of his age…."
| A: Edward Everett |
Winner:
Jordan Rabinovitz '58 |
| May 2005 |
| April 2005 |
| March 2005
| Q:
Herman S. Nelke 1907 was an actor, director, writer, producer and owner of a Broadway theater. What was his stage name? |
| February 2005
| Q: What was the name of the first black student to graduate from Boston Latin School, and when did he graduate?
|
A: Parker Bailey, Class of 1877 |
| January 2005 |
Q: Name the alumna/us actor whose TV appearances included “Fantasy Island,” “Strong Medicine,” “JAG” and “Judging Amy,” to name but a few. |
A: Christine Elise ’83 |
Winner:
Mike Norton ’76 |
December 2004
| Q: Who was the class of 1851 alumnus who penned one of the world's most popular Christmas carols? (the name of the Christmas carol as well.)
|
A: Phillips Brooks,
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" | |
| November 2004 | Q: Who was the only father-son team to be inducted into the BLS Hall of Fame?
|
A: Thomas Bilodeau '34 and Thomas Bilodeau '60
| Winner:
Larry DiCara '67 |
| October 2004
| Q: What is the name of the sculptor and alumnus who created the "Alma Mater" statue which resides in the ceremonial main lobby of Boston Latin School?
|
A: Richard Saltonstall Greenough, class of 1829 |
Winner:
Kristine Zaleskas '87 |
Kudos to Spencer C. Sleeper '02 for solving the long-unsolved September '06 question:
“It's a good feeling to know that the query has finally been cracked!
I saw that question back in September 2006 when it was first posted, and I had spent some time attempting to find the answer to it, but to no avail. A few weeks ago, I was looking around on the BLSA website and noticed that the question had still gone unanswered, so I was determined to discover the solution to that ever-evasive enigma. I went to Google and searched for that quotation, but no results came up. Then I tried Google Scholar, and still nothing.
Just when I was about to lose hope, a flash of inspiration prompted me to look on Google Book Search, and lo and behold, I found that quote in a book entitled: "Introduction to Psychology" by Ernest R. Hilgard. However, the little snippet of information on Book Search did not include the name of the alumnus who made that statement! Not to be deterred, I looked for the book at the Northeastern University Library and it was listed as available, but was nowhere to be found on the shelves. I was told that since the book was published in 1953, books published before 1960 or so don't carry a barcode, and thus it would be nearly impossible to find the book (and most likely it would be "missing"). However, the librarian informed me that I could search for the book online from other local libraries, and if it was available, another library would allow me to borrow it through the inter-library loan.
Well, to make a long story short, the book arrived at the NU Library last week, and I was relieved and delighted to find that the answer was Charles William Eliot, the former president of Harvard University, who, by the way, was not only the longest-serving Harvard president, but was also the youngest president in the university's history, appointed at the age of 35.”
-Spencer C. Sleeper '02
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