Dr. SEUSS, known as Ted to his friends, showed the kind of person he would become even as a child. He was playful, becoming the best ear wiggler of all his friends.
World War I began in 1914 when Ted was 10. Ted's family had come from Germany and spoke German at home. During this time, many Americans turned against Germany. Ted said that local boys clobbered him, called him the German brewer's kid and yelled "Kill the kaiser" to him. In addition to anti-German feelings, it looked as if liquor would be made illegal. This meant that the Geisels' income would be threatened.
In 1917, Ted started high school. His father insisted he take fencing lessons. Ted felt they added nothing to his life. He signed up for an art class, but when he drew a picture upside down, his teacher said he'd never succeed in art if he broke the rules.
Schoolwork didn't interest him as much as drawing and writing cartoons, acting in school plays and becoming an editor of the high school yearbook.
Ted entered Dartmouth College in 1921 and very quickly decided he wanted to be editor of the humor magazine, the Jack-O-Lantern, also called Jacko. He hung around the magazine office to work, staying up all night sometimes. A friend said that Ted's humor was never mean, that he was a sweet man, full of fun, who laughed a lot. Ted intended to study in college but found himself sketching weird animals in the margins of his notebooks while the teacher lectured.
In 1924 Ted was elected editor in chief of Jacko. He had met the goal he had set for himself the first year of college. The next year, he graduated from Dartmouth with a major in English and writing -- and average grades.
Unsure how he could earn a living, he applied to Oxford University in England, hoping to earn a doctorate and teach English.
Wednesday: But would teaching English be the path his life would take?
The National Education Assn.'s Read Across America project celebrates the joys of reading and honors Dr. Seuss, whose birthday is March 2. Actor Edward James Olmos and other celebrity readers will be at San Fernando Middle School from 10 to 11 a.m. today to launch "Lea con NEA" (Read With NEA). For information on more local events, go to www.nea.org/readacross/ la-events.html.
This is a Kids' Reading Room Classic that first appeared Feb. 26, 2002.
