and romance
led to predictable consequences.
"The first Nancy goes to Scripps College-is a lively, pretty girl, from
the lively, attractive Huggins clan," explained Molly. "Willful, indulged. She rooms with a much calmer, steadier, bookish girl from Omaha. She
has a brother who started [to college] in Michigan. He was sent to Caltech. And they utterly rushed into marriage-he was 21, she 19-no idea
of what they were doing, both people of high spirits. Young people in the
middle of a war. They made severe mistakes."
It took several years before it would become apparent that Munger's
marriage was a misjudgment. In the meantime, the Mungers did what
many young, postwar couples did. They sought additional education on
the GI Bill and started a family.
Though Munger had by now attended several universities and taken
advanced courses, he had not earned a college diploma. That did not deter
this ambitious 22-year-old. Even before he was discharged from the military in 1946, Charlie, like his father, applied to the nation's oldest and
perhaps most distinguished law school, Harvard. Charlie was following a
family tradition, but law also seemed the best career choice for him,
given his skills, or lack thereof, in certain areas.
"The Army gave two tests," he explained. "An IQ test and a mechanical aptitude test. I got a radically high score on IQ and a much lower score
for mechanical aptitude. That confirmed what I already knew. My spatial
talents were not up to my general level of talents. If I'd have gone into surgery when I was young, I wouldn't have been an outstanding surgeon. My
father's best friend, Dr. Davis, was a famous surgeon. I could tell he had
this vast mechanical ability that I lacked."
As for his original college major-mathematics-well, Charlie performed admirably in the math classes he'd taken, but he knew he wasn't
as talented as his best teachers. He recalled watching his Caltech thermodynamics professor, Homer Joe Stewart, stride into the classroom and
spend hours writing very complex equations on the blackboard as fast as
his fingers could move, spouting rapid-fire explanations as he went.
Charlie realized he never could be as good as that, and for a professor at
a prestigious university, it is necessary to be like Homer Joe Stewart. To
go into a calling where he would not be exceptional was not in Charlie's
thinking.
Despite the fact that Al Munger had graduated from Harvard Law,
Charlie was not welcomed with open arms. "I was admitted over the objection of Dean Warren Abner Seavy through the intervention of family
friend Roscoe Pound," Munger said.
A Nebraska native, Pound was the retired dean of Harvard Law
School. Charlie knew from family stories that Pound was a polymathic su-
pergenius who, as dean, seldom convened faculty meetings because he
figured he could make better decisions by himself. When Munger, faced
with rejection, asked to confer with Pound, Seavy warned Charlie that the Dean would agree that he should finish college before going to law
school. Munger replied, "We'll see."
When Charlie called upon him to plead his case, Pound reviewed the
transcripts of the work Munger already had completed. After reaching a
favorable conclusion, Pound contacted the new law school dean and saw
to it that Munger was admitted.'
Harvard's flexibility proved sound. By the end of Charlie's first year
he won a 5400 Sears prize for placing second in his class. Nonetheless, in
retrospect, Charlie considered himself prepared enough for Harvard Law,
but inadequately prepared for life.
"I came to Harvard Law School very poorly educated, with desultory
work habits and no college degree."3
At the 75th anniversary celebration of Sec's Candy, Munger and
Buffett spent nearly an hour taking questions from the audience. One
See's employee asked the two men what their most important school experiences were.
"I hurried through school," said Munger. "I don't think I'm a fair example
led to predictable consequences.
"The first Nancy goes to Scripps College-is a lively, pretty girl, from
the lively, attractive Huggins clan," explained Molly. "Willful, indulged. She rooms with a much calmer, steadier, bookish girl from Omaha. She
has a brother who started [to college] in Michigan. He was sent to Caltech. And they utterly rushed into marriage-he was 21, she 19-no idea
of what they were doing, both people of high spirits. Young people in the
middle of a war. They made severe mistakes."
It took several years before it would become apparent that Munger's
marriage was a misjudgment. In the meantime, the Mungers did what
many young, postwar couples did. They sought additional education on
the GI Bill and started a family.
Though Munger had by now attended several universities and taken
advanced courses, he had not earned a college diploma. That did not deter
this ambitious 22-year-old. Even before he was discharged from the military in 1946, Charlie, like his father, applied to the nation's oldest and
perhaps most distinguished law school, Harvard. Charlie was following a
family tradition, but law also seemed the best career choice for him,
given his skills, or lack thereof, in certain areas.
"The Army gave two tests," he explained. "An IQ test and a mechanical aptitude test. I got a radically high score on IQ and a much lower score
for mechanical aptitude. That confirmed what I already knew. My spatial
talents were not up to my general level of talents. If I'd have gone into surgery when I was young, I wouldn't have been an outstanding surgeon. My
father's best friend, Dr. Davis, was a famous surgeon. I could tell he had
this vast mechanical ability that I lacked."
As for his original college major-mathematics-well, Charlie performed admirably in the math classes he'd taken, but he knew he wasn't
as talented as his best teachers. He recalled watching his Caltech thermodynamics professor, Homer Joe Stewart, stride into the classroom and
spend hours writing very complex equations on the blackboard as fast as
his fingers could move, spouting rapid-fire explanations as he went.
Charlie realized he never could be as good as that, and for a professor at
a prestigious university, it is necessary to be like Homer Joe Stewart. To
go into a calling where he would not be exceptional was not in Charlie's
thinking.
Despite the fact that Al Munger had graduated from Harvard Law,
Charlie was not welcomed with open arms. "I was admitted over the objection of Dean Warren Abner Seavy through the intervention of family
friend Roscoe Pound," Munger said.
A Nebraska native, Pound was the retired dean of Harvard Law
School. Charlie knew from family stories that Pound was a polymathic su-
pergenius who, as dean, seldom convened faculty meetings because he
figured he could make better decisions by himself. When Munger, faced
with rejection, asked to confer with Pound, Seavy warned Charlie that the Dean would agree that he should finish college before going to law
school. Munger replied, "We'll see."
When Charlie called upon him to plead his case, Pound reviewed the
transcripts of the work Munger already had completed. After reaching a
favorable conclusion, Pound contacted the new law school dean and saw
to it that Munger was admitted.'
Harvard's flexibility proved sound. By the end of Charlie's first year
he won a 5400 Sears prize for placing second in his class. Nonetheless, in
retrospect, Charlie considered himself prepared enough for Harvard Law,
but inadequately prepared for life.
"I came to Harvard Law School very poorly educated, with desultory
work habits and no college degree."3
At the 75th anniversary celebration of Sec's Candy, Munger and
Buffett spent nearly an hour taking questions from the audience. One
See's employee asked the two men what their most important school experiences were.
"I hurried through school," said Munger. "I don't think I'm a fair example
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