Mr. Flint Was a "No-Nonsense Perfectionist," According to a Former Andrew Warde High School Student Now Living in Richmond, Virginia

A story which appeared in this space earlier this month about former Andrew Warde High School German teacher Frank Flint elicited several written responses from former students, including a 1974 Warde product who now lives in Richmond, Virginia.

"Mr. Flint was a no-nonsense teacher who took pride in teaching the language and moved the pace along pretty quickly," wrote Tom Wingreen, who was Mr. Flint's German student during his junior year. "He was a perfectionist at what he did and expected the same from his students. But Mr. Flint never refused to give extra help to any student, no matter how hopeless the situation, not even me."

Wingreen, whose older brother, John, graduated from Warde in 1972 and was also enrolled in Mr. Flint's class, recalled how difficult his junior year was. "I took Geometry, Chemistry, and German II along with the basics, History and English, that year," he mentioned. "It didn't take long to realize I was in over my head. So I didn't do particularly well in his class."

As for the tests Mr. Flint administered? Wingreen compared them to facing an overpowering pitcher from his youth. "Taking one of Mr. Flint's tests was always brutal," he acknowledged.

"The best way to describe taking one of his tests was like watching hitters face Bob Gibson at home plate in the World Series during the 1960s. He just blew me away. Mr. Flint (pictured in the 1976 Flame yearbook) seemed to enjoy that reputation of making the tests a real challenge."

One of Wingreen's favorite memories of Flint's class involved a former classmate and co-worker at Friendly's on Black Rock Turnpike. "I do remember he let us do presentations on Fridays on anything we wanted as long as they were in German," pointed out Wingreen, who attended Osborn Hill School and Fairfield Woods Junior High School.

"There was a student named Anna who did particularly well in his class but was a little cocky about it. I used to work with Anna at Friendly's until she quit after a confrontation with the manager. Anna used to tease me about not doing well in Mr. Flint's class," he continued.

"Therefore, when Friday came, I would do skits about Anna and the Friendly's manager going at it in German. I got some help with preparation ahead of time from some of her rivals so my skits were always top notch. The class enjoyed it, especially Mr. Flint. One classmate signed my year book, 'Remember German class? You were great!' I'm convinced that's what got me a passing grade in Mr. Flint's class. It certainly wasn't the test grades."

Wingreen frequently visits this Web site to take a stroll down memory lane. "I read some of the articles on the Web site, including the one about the Warde women basketball players winning the championship 33 years ago," he wrote. "I recognize one of the players, Debbie Mendell. She was in my art class with Ms. Whalen when I was in my senior year. I don't know why I remember this stuff, but I do."

Thanks, Tom. I appreciate your thoughtful letter and response to the articles. Good luck with your impending retirement. Your memories of Mr. Flint's class are priceless.

Paul

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