Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was an American businessman and politician, as well as the 41st Vice President of the United States, serving under Gerald Ford. Despite his very successful political career, Rockefeller had a very rough start, struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia and even nearly failing the ninth grade. But he found opportunities in his struggles, and as he once said, “Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems.”
Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1908, in Bar Harbor, Maine. He was the third child of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abigail Aldrich. He attended Lincoln School in Manhattan. He was said to be a relatively poor student, struggling with reading and writing, and having no resources available to help him. After very nearly failing ninth grade, Rockefeller resolved to fight tooth and nail for the grades necessary to get him into college. While he didn’t get into Princeton University, the school he had hoped to get into, he did get into Dartmouth College in 1926.
Although he wasn’t a very proficient student, Nelson "demonstrated a discipline that throughout life would serve him in lieu of brilliance." After getting into college, he made a routine for himself that involved getting up at 5am every day to study. It was this discipline that helped him develop his administrative skills, which would eventually lead to his career in politics. Despite lacking resources, Rockefeller paved his path forwards through perseverance and determination.
Rockefeller would go on to give a speech on the PBS special, “The Puzzle Children.” He recounted his own experiences and struggles with dyslexia, and gave words of inspiration to dyslexic kids. In the speech’s opening line, he said “Don’t accept anyone’s verdict that you are lazy (or) stupid... You may very well be smarter than most.”
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