- 1
- 2
- next
- | single page
Mildred K. Sheff |
E-mail
Print
Mildred K. Sheff, who for more than two decades made sure that City College Latin students thoroughly knew their declensions and conjugations, died Oct. 30 of a stroke at Atrium Village, an Owings Mills assisted-living facility. She was 96.
Mildred Katz, the daughter of a candy manufacturer and homemaker, was born at home on Gough Street in Fells Point.
She later moved to Forest Park with her family and graduated in 1930 from Forest Park High School. She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Goucher College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1934 in the classics.
Mrs. Sheff began her teaching career the next year at Garrison Junior High School and in 1946 earned a master's degree in history from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Mrs. Sheff joined the City College faculty in 1947, and for the next 26 years taught Latin. She retired in 1973. Near the end of her career, she also taught French and history.
Former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, now dean of the Howard University School of Law, was one of Mrs. Sheff's students his freshman year at City.
"Oh my, ninth grade was a very, very long year for me because I didn't share Mrs. Sheff's enthusiasm for 'Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic Wars,' " he said with a laugh.
"She was very old-school and an outstanding teacher, however, I would describe her as lovingly terrifying," Mr. Schmoke said. "She was one of my teachers that I came to appreciate the further I got away from her."
He recalled that Mrs. Sheff "always gave me high marks for character and low marks for Latin."
Mr. Schmoke also said that "she was a big supporter of mine when I was in the state's attorney's office. She was always talking me up."
During his years as mayor, Mr. Schmoke would often meet his former teacher at public meetings.
"I remember meeting her for the first time at a community meeting in Northwest Baltimore, and my palms started sweating again," he said, laughing.
"I loved her, but boy, was she tough," said University of Maryland law professor Larry Gibson. "I had her my first year at City in 1956, and she taught the 'A' course students. There were also very few women teachers at City then.
"Mrs. Sheff had fiery red hair and a smile that she tried to hide. She was always trying to look stern, but her sparking eyes gave her away," he said.
"It was also Mrs. Sheff who gave me the lowest grade I ever got at City. It was during my first semester. I later turned it around by just studying more," said Mr. Gibson, who graduated in 1960.
Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg studied Latin with Mrs. Sheff for two years.
"I had family members who had gone before me and said that Mrs. Sheff was part of their City College experience, and she became an essential part of my City College experience," said Mr. Rosenberg, who graduated from City in 1968.
"When you were in the 'A' course, you had to take Latin for two years, and the third year was just too tough for me. I had to screw up my courage to tell her that I was dropping out, but she didn't hold it against me," he said.
Mr. Rosenberg recalled that there was "no nonsense in Mrs. Sheff's class."
"Listen, I had a cousin who told me he had left out a comma in a translation, and Mrs. Sheff gave him a zero," Mr. Rosenberg said.
Mildred Katz, the daughter of a candy manufacturer and homemaker, was born at home on Gough Street in Fells Point.
She later moved to Forest Park with her family and graduated in 1930 from Forest Park High School. She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Goucher College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1934 in the classics.
Mrs. Sheff began her teaching career the next year at Garrison Junior High School and in 1946 earned a master's degree in history from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Mrs. Sheff joined the City College faculty in 1947, and for the next 26 years taught Latin. She retired in 1973. Near the end of her career, she also taught French and history.
Former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, now dean of the Howard University School of Law, was one of Mrs. Sheff's students his freshman year at City.
"Oh my, ninth grade was a very, very long year for me because I didn't share Mrs. Sheff's enthusiasm for 'Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic Wars,' " he said with a laugh.
"She was very old-school and an outstanding teacher, however, I would describe her as lovingly terrifying," Mr. Schmoke said. "She was one of my teachers that I came to appreciate the further I got away from her."
He recalled that Mrs. Sheff "always gave me high marks for character and low marks for Latin."
Mr. Schmoke also said that "she was a big supporter of mine when I was in the state's attorney's office. She was always talking me up."
During his years as mayor, Mr. Schmoke would often meet his former teacher at public meetings.
"I remember meeting her for the first time at a community meeting in Northwest Baltimore, and my palms started sweating again," he said, laughing.
"I loved her, but boy, was she tough," said University of Maryland law professor Larry Gibson. "I had her my first year at City in 1956, and she taught the 'A' course students. There were also very few women teachers at City then.
"Mrs. Sheff had fiery red hair and a smile that she tried to hide. She was always trying to look stern, but her sparking eyes gave her away," he said.
"It was also Mrs. Sheff who gave me the lowest grade I ever got at City. It was during my first semester. I later turned it around by just studying more," said Mr. Gibson, who graduated in 1960.
Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg studied Latin with Mrs. Sheff for two years.
"I had family members who had gone before me and said that Mrs. Sheff was part of their City College experience, and she became an essential part of my City College experience," said Mr. Rosenberg, who graduated from City in 1968.
"When you were in the 'A' course, you had to take Latin for two years, and the third year was just too tough for me. I had to screw up my courage to tell her that I was dropping out, but she didn't hold it against me," he said.
Mr. Rosenberg recalled that there was "no nonsense in Mrs. Sheff's class."
"Listen, I had a cousin who told me he had left out a comma in a translation, and Mrs. Sheff gave him a zero," Mr. Rosenberg said.
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
StumbleUpon
I, too, was in the A Course, graduating in 1967. Latin class was out first of the morning, and how we dreaded the smell of her strong perfume and the sound of her high heels as we heard her coming down the hall from Mr. Gorban's office, more times than not to raise that dreaded map over the blackboard to reveal that day's quiz. And I got my first deficiency notice from her. 55 in RED was on my report card. One of several in the class. But I finally caught on ("There is the right way, the wrong way, and Mrs. Sheff's way!"), and ended the school year with an E for my final exam. She even said: "Lapin, tell the class what you got." And I KEPT "getting" it, deciding to stick it out for the entire four years of Latin. Nowadays I am in my 38th season as a cellist with the Indianapolis Symphony, and a published author. The discipline I (finally) learned from her was what helped me in what I do and AM today. If only they had cloned her!
Geoffrey SCOTT Lapin
downeyocean@sbcglobal.net
IndyGuy.69 (11/13/2009, 1:15 PM )