Nancy Hansen ’53

I remember my first encounter of the fact of segregation (no black kids at the proms and total segregation at lunch time.) It just wasn’t okay. Doc Haydis was a huge influence on me. Hyman (“Doc”) Haydis used what I later learned was the “Socratic Method” of teaching. That is, he asked questions– often difficult ones– and in so doing, he taught us to think more deeply about ourselves, our values, the world we lived in, and those we shared it with. Other influences were classmates Pat Brown and of course, Lonnie Hewitt.

My years at Tech were probably the most important and most transformative of my life: idealistic, painful, and quite wonderful. Oh, and of course there was Hank, my wonderful rock. Best friend and closeted gay man (and student body president) until we were 19.

I want to share with today’s Technites the huge impact that very special three years had on my life.