Peter Jennings

Being a news commentator isn't exactly what I'd call the pinnacle of success, but none the less, he did ok for dropping out of school more than once.

Until his death, I also wasn't aware that Jennings had not graduated high school. Of the big three news anchors of his era (Jennings, Brokaw, Rather), I had the most respect for Mr. Jennings, and this only made me have more respect for him. He might have been given a leg up when he began his career, but to reach the place he reached took more than a leg up. He earned that. Like most every joarnalist, he loved to learn. His lack of a formal education certainly did not hold him back.

I did not know until I read his obituary that Peter Jennings had not even graduated from high school. Astounding! If I had been asked to make a list of the ten people I can think of least likely to have a limited formal education, he would have been one of my first choices. Let that be a lesson to people in the States who complain about our crappy public schools. With libraries, newspapers, magazines and the internet at the common man's fingertips, there is practically no barrier to obtaining significant knowledge and a wealth of information.