It comes as no surprise to Dr. Beau Christ’s computer science students when he begins a Python programming exercise with a list of names that includes John, Paul, George and Ringo. 
 
Those guys are the Beatles, of course, and a visit to Christ’s office quickly confirms his interest in the world’s most famous rock band. Posters and album covers featuring the Fab Four, who rocked the world two decades before Christ was born, decorate his office. 
 
Christ has taught an Interim course on the Beatles and occasionally plugs Beatles references into his computer science instruction. 
 
“In Interim we really dug in pretty deep on their influence on just about everything,” he says. “Why are they so fascinating? There’s a lot to cover.” 
 
Christ says listening to his mother’s old records got him interested in music from the 1960s, and that led to the Beatles and a lifelong interest in their music and their broader cultural impact. 
 
“As songwriters they can’t be touched,” he says. “There’s something about their creative minds that enabled them to put out stuff unlike anything anyone else has. And the most remarkable thing about that is that they did it in a 10-year period, or less, really.” 
 
Christ’s favorite Beatles song is “A Day in the Life,” and his No. 1 album is the classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.