My Dad was an exec and always had secretaries to take his dictation and write his documents. He never touched a computer or keyboard in his life. Yet he made me take typing in 11th grade summer school (around 1968). Like you, I was the only boy in the class!
He always said that “typing is going to be an important skill to master.” It’s amazing he could see that coming so many years before the advent of PCs. Only a couple years later, I was typing out IBM 360 punch cards in college and did that skill ever come in handy! To this day, I can still touch-type. Thanks, Dad!
We had wood shop in 7th grade and metal shop in 8th grade. I still remember those classes very fondly and have one project we made in that wood shop class.
Ended up being the most useful courses I took in high school. Even today, there are very few men who can write a proper business letter or be beyond the "hunt and peck" method of typing. It's one of the main reasons I hold a VP title today.
In today's business world, secretaries are few and far between. Executives are expected to have the skill set that used to be delegated to the secretarial pool.
I actually majored in Business Ed for my B.S.
True story: As a student teacher, the school system’s SUPERINTENDENT’S son was enrolled in my typing class. He was a big kid—a football player with large hands that clearly had seen some rough game time. Needless to say, typing was a struggle for him, but he worked hard and tried his best.
No one was more relieved and happier than me that he earned a C final grade in that class!! ;)