WHAT WAS LINCOLN LIKE IN THE 50S: MEMORIES OF A LINCOLN LEARNER

Meet Henry Whitney, a former student who still holds fond memories of his years at Lincoln. Get to know his experience back then: favorite teachers, classes, anecdotes, and more! 

A few years at Lincoln are enough for the Condor spirit to grow in our learners. That is the case of Henry Whitney, who joined Lincoln at only six years old. Although he only spent eight years as one of our students, his time at Lincoln still lingers in his memory.  

In 1946, Henry’s family moved from Brazil to Argentina. Later that year, he joined the American Grammar High School, the institution now known as Lincoln. “I loved Brazil and I really was shocked. I wanted to be in Brazil where I lived in a place surrounded by Woods and nature and trees and here, however, I was in an apartment. So at first, things were not easy and I repeated the first grade… Not many people repeat first grade”. 

During an interview, Henry shared his experience at Lincoln, a great insight to what it was like for our Condors back then! 

Who was your favorite teacher?

Ms Grave was one. Actually, it was Pastor Grave. We never knew he was a pastor. He was very understanding. There was also Mrs. Hightower, who would take kids to the American Church downtown to sing.

What Were Your Favorite Classes?

History! We did not have too much social studies back then. In the end, I majored in History and Economics at Trinity College in Hartford CN. 

I also remember that, at the time, there was The HiWi and the Tri-Wi. There were spaces for junior and senior classes. We had a special place in the cellar for the boys. And the Tri-Wi, the girls, had a room of their own. It’s important to have these spaces that make us feel at home and belong to smaller groups.

The other thing that was important in high school was that, once a week, we would have carpentry and metalworking. We spent two or three months making various things. I am so proud of the work I did back then. 

Are you still in touch with friends from Lincoln?

I am in touch with three or four. With Bobby Johnson, John Melard, and David Smith.

The interesting thing was that, at the time, I remember something was going on between the classmates from downtown, very posh, and us, as we were from the suburbs (Olivos, Vicente Lopez). We were kind of a mess. Always in trouble. 

What is the funniest event or anecdote you remember at Lincoln?

It must have been in 3rd or 4th grade. We had a Spanish teacher we liked and it was announced she was leaving. The day the new teacher came in, I was against her, so… I put glue on her chair.

Also, there was a time when we got together to play against WARD College. We had no uniforms.  So we called ourselves TACS - The American Community School, this was the first game after the two schools united (Lincoln and the American Grammar High School).  We had our mothers stitch TACS on our shirts. We won the game, by the way. From the Lincoln side, there was Skipper Dickson, who was an unbelievable soccer player. I thought he would end up being famous, but then we never heard of him.

What was your favorite food in the cafeteria?

For the first few years, there was an administration and dining room. It went from bad to terrible, but the dessert was very good. 

How did the school prepare you for your career?

I went relatively well prepared for my boarding school. That prepared me for college. In college, the key things that kept me going were my fraternity and my sports involvement. Afterward, I became the General Manager of my family’s insurance company. And, after that, I became a Marketing and Sales Consultant for ten years. I offered courses around the world. 

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