An interesting story
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 6:36 pm
I was talking to my dad yesterday, and he told me an interesting story. Back in the late 60s/early 70s, my dad was the assistant dean of the SMU law school. One day, he received word that one of his new first-year students was not attending class, so he called the young man in and asked him about it.
The student said that, indeed, he was not attending class, but he had someone attending for him, taking very detailed notes, then going over them with him later, in-depth. My dad pointed out that the student was missing out on the opportunity to interact with the professors, etc..., but the student said, "Dean, I want to get my law degree, but I'm not planning to practice law; I plan to go into business. Is there any rule which requires me to attend class?" My father acknowledged that, no, there was no such requirement.
Dad monitored the student's grades (he showed up for tests), and the student passed the first round of tests. Certainly not one of the top students, but passing. This went on semester after semester, and the student eventually graduated.
At this point, my dad asked the young man what he was doing all that time, instead of attending classes. The now-former student said, "Playing golf." My dad was a bit incredulous, and replied, "Playing golf?", and then the young man clued him in: "Dean, the golf course is where business deals are done."
By the time he had graduated from law school, the student was already a millionaire. He now lives in a 25,000 sq ft mansion in Highland Park, has a vacation homes in Manhattan, NYC and the Hamptons, a horse farm in Kentucky, and is one of the richest men in Texas, with an estimated net worth near $2 billion. He also has a stadium named after him.
This enterprising gentleman's name: Gerald J. Ford
And now you know the rest of the story.
The student said that, indeed, he was not attending class, but he had someone attending for him, taking very detailed notes, then going over them with him later, in-depth. My dad pointed out that the student was missing out on the opportunity to interact with the professors, etc..., but the student said, "Dean, I want to get my law degree, but I'm not planning to practice law; I plan to go into business. Is there any rule which requires me to attend class?" My father acknowledged that, no, there was no such requirement.
Dad monitored the student's grades (he showed up for tests), and the student passed the first round of tests. Certainly not one of the top students, but passing. This went on semester after semester, and the student eventually graduated.
At this point, my dad asked the young man what he was doing all that time, instead of attending classes. The now-former student said, "Playing golf." My dad was a bit incredulous, and replied, "Playing golf?", and then the young man clued him in: "Dean, the golf course is where business deals are done."
By the time he had graduated from law school, the student was already a millionaire. He now lives in a 25,000 sq ft mansion in Highland Park, has a vacation homes in Manhattan, NYC and the Hamptons, a horse farm in Kentucky, and is one of the richest men in Texas, with an estimated net worth near $2 billion. He also has a stadium named after him.
This enterprising gentleman's name: Gerald J. Ford
And now you know the rest of the story.