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Before my friend moved to Fort Wayne, the most I knew of the city came from Planet of the Apes, where Charlton Heston’s character is from the town. Fittingly a conversation in the movie revolves around education

Monkey; Where did you learn to do this?
Heston: “Jefferson Public School. Fort Wayne, Indiana. “

Yet Fort Wayne isn’t just known for its monkey-fighters, but also its killer mastodons.

Mascot of IPFW

We first visited Science Central, Indiana’s Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology. It’s essentially the same thing as a sciency part of Sioux Falls’ Washington Pavilion of Arts and Sciences, except not a waste of time. Biz, Lady of Biz, and I enjoyed ourselves playing with gigantic shadow cameras, learning about pulleys, and other educational things. Pedagogically the place is a constructivist’s dream, brilliantly leading children to rational thought in a way that’s fun, exciting, and very tactile.

Next up was Hyde Brothers, Booksellers. Biz described the store as “a library, exploded,” and that’s a fair summary. Books fill every nook and cranny both on the main floor and on the basement. Like any good used book store it’s almost painful to visit, because of the selection is so wide and fascinating. I purchased Murder in China Red by Dean Barret for five dollars.

Last up, Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne. Lady of Biz is currently attending the campus to earn a teaching degree. The tents welcoming new and prospective students reminded me of similar concessionaires at Peking University

My comparison to the PU new students festival (which had things like student shirt-painting, and other from-high-school-senior-to-college-freshman activities) was right-on. IPFW Freshman Fest!

In spite of a history as a commuter college (IPFW has only recently added apartment-style dormitories), the college has taken good care of the student environment. Greenery, a lake, and resting areas are conveniently located near the student union and other buildings on campus.

It wouldn’t be a college without generic wishy-washy thoughts for general goodness. In this case, may peace prevail over the world.