Summer 2005 - Hood College

Summer 2005
Hood Magazine 13
Decades of Distinction
Len Latkovski, Jr.
By Randy Gray
In 1968, man first orbited the moon
aboard Apollo 8, the Vietnam War raged
on, Richard Nixon was elected President
of the United States and Leonard
Latkovski Jr. first walked on to the Hood
College campus. For the last 37 years
“Dr. L,” as he’s known among students,
faculty and staff, has been teaching a
myriad of U.S., Russian and Middle
Eastern history courses and coaching
tennis teams to a championship or two.
After nearly four decades, Latkovski,
who serves as chair of Hood’s department
of history and political science, says
he’s still passionate about the job. “I want
my students to think for themselves and
not take someone’s word that Adolph
Hitler was an evil dictator,” Latkovski
said. “They should probe to find out
what made him the way he was.”
Latkovski, who grew up in Latvia and
later Germany, learned early on to appreciate
world affairs, especially in light of
his family’s plight. They were forced to
flee from Communists who invaded
Latvia at the end of World War II. “We
had to leave everything to save our lives,”
he said. “We slept in haystacks and
barns. We made it to the Baltic coast and
took a ship to Germany, where we lived
in refugee camps for six years. In 1950
we came to the U.S.”
Latkovski, who has a well-earned reputation
among students, fellow faculty
and staff for enthusiasm and boundless
energy, relishes interacting with students
and says he doesn’t see a significant
change in the type of student he has
taught over the years. He says the Hood
student of 2005 is as interested in what’s
going on in Iraq as was the student of
1970 about Vietnam. “They come here
to get an education and they are motivated
to do well,” Latkovski said. “I try to
help my students in as many ways as
possible. If they come to me with a
problem, whether it’s school-related or
personal, I take time to listen and offer
advice if I can.”
Maggie Hasselbach, a history major
who had seven classes with Latkovski,
says he’s one of the reasons she decided
to come to Hood. “He has a unique style
of teaching, telling stories about historical
“He has a unique style
of teaching, telling stories
about historical characters
that brings out their
personalities and makes
it interesting,”
Len Latkovski Jr.
Maggie Hasselbach ’05
characters that brings out their personalities
and makes it interesting,” said
Hasselbach, who graduated in May.
“Teaching is his life’s passion and students
feel that and are energized.”
“He is always interested in their personal
narratives and life histories,” said Hoda
Zaki, a professor of political science at
Hood. “He cares deeply about them and is
passionate about teaching.”
Latkovski
60s
believes Hood’s small college
atmosphere allows its students to excel in a
big way. Hood is a great learning environment,
he says, because of the emphasis on
excellence in teaching. “It’s a great environment
where you know your students and
they know you,” Latkovski said. ■