Stay in School - or not Trivia Quiz

Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

FDR graduated from Groton (a prestigious preparatory school) and Harvard, but dropped out of Columbia Law School in 1907 - having already passed the New York bar examination. A law degree wasn't required in those days. He practised law briefly before entering public service. John Kennedy graduated from Choate (another preppy) and Harvard, but never flirted with a legal career. Steve Cleveland never attended either college or law school, but became an attorney via a "clerkship." Tom Wilson earned his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins - which never had a law school - before becoming a lecturer in "jurisprudence" at Princeton. Of those listed, Wilson is the only President to have earned a doctorate in a field other than law. And yes, their birth records say Stephen Grover Cleveland and Thomas Woodrow Wilson ... trivial bonus!

Answer: Harry S Truman

Harry S. Truman - the "S" didn't stand for anything - took one semester of courses at a business trade school, and some college courses in the early 1920s, but never earned a degree. His dream of entering West Point was frustrated by poor eyesight. Andrew Johnson apprenticed as a tailor and had little or no formal education, but was an eager autodidact and became a well-known orator. William McKinley spent only one year in college before quitting to fight in the Civil War.

Afterward, he studied briefly at Albany Law School despite not having an undergraduate degree. Ronald Reagan graduated from Eureka College.

Answer: Winston Churchill

Churchill's school days may have done more harm than good. The great orator stammered as a lad; he won a Nobel Prize for Literature but reading remained difficult; he attended Sandhurst but rose to prominence as First Lord of the Admiralty. Grant was a mediocre student at West Point but wasn't hampered by learning disabilities or aided by family influence.

The movie, The King's Speech, tells much about George VI's struggle, but His Majesty did not attend conventional schools. George Patton was an able student, a world-class athlete and a fluent (if occasionally profane) public speaker, though his voice was incongruously high-pitched.

Answer: Charles (Karl) Steinmetz

Karl Steinmetz was an ardent socialist in his academic youth - an uncomfortable position in Wilhelmine Germany. He emigrated to the United States, changed his first name to "Charles," and became a leading light - er, scientist and engineer - for the General Electric Company.

Hertz died in his native Germany 1892 at the age of 36. Although he and his (much younger) wife were Christians, the Nazis later forced her into exile because of his Jewish ancestry. Tesla was a brilliant student who completed his studies before coming to the U.S. to work with - and later compete against - Thomas Edison. Ernst Werner von Siemens attended the Prussian Military Academy of Engineering and Artillery - no radical he!

Answer: The Fulton Fish Market

Al Smith dropped out of gradeschool to support his family by working at the fish market. He never had the opportunity to attend high school or college. Despite his lack of formal education, he was elected Governor of New York four times. Although plain-spoken, he was highly intelligent - and always decorous and proper. New York City's Public School #1 (among others) is named for him.

Answer: John Harvard

John Harvard - Emmanuel College Cambridge B.A. 1632, M.A. 1635, and married his classmate's sister to boot. Johns (with an "s") Hopkins left school as a teenager to enter the dry goods business, and made millions (in the 19th century...) investing in the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Childless, he left the bulk of his wealth to found the University and the Hospital. Ezra Cornell was a carpenter, sawmill manager and traveling plow salesman before making his fortune in the telegraph business. Paul Tulane was born and raised in New Jersey.

He later moved to New Orleans, where he prospered and donated generously to what was originally The University of Louisiana.

Answer: Larry Ellison

Multi-billionaire Larry Ellison dropped out of both the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. Charles Koch and the equally wealthy David Koch both earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Despite his avuncular demeanor, Warren Buffett earned a B.A. from the University of Nebraska and a Master's Degree from Columbia University.

Answer: The Punahou School

Preppies all! Pounahou is an independent K-12 school in Honolulu, Hawaii, founded in 1841. President Obama also attended Occidental, Columbia College and Harvard Law School.

Answer: Choate - Rosemary Hall

... and Alan Jay Lerner, Ali McGraw, and more. Ignotus (who?) doesn't count, being neither rich nor famous. The Paul Mellon Arts Center offers Choaties a superb performance venue. Performing Arts High gained fame through, well, Fame (the movie). Julliard offers weekend clases to primary and secondary school students enrolled in other schools, but does not have a full-time program for them.

There really is a Hollywood High,teeming with thespians.

Answer: Gene Simmons (Kiss)

Gene Simmons taught gradeschool in New York City before becoming "The Demon." Would have made for interesting parent-teacher conferences ... Robert Englund was trained as a classical actor. Lon Chaney Sr.'s parents were deaf, which is said to have encouraged him to express emotions via facial expressions.

The "Man of a Thousand Faces" didn't really need that makeup. Barry Humphries is a multi-talented artist, writer and performer. Dame Edna isn't his only personna, but teaching gradeschool isn't on his resume.