School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents

This fascinating volume uses memoirs, scrapbooks and letters to reveal the formative experiences that shaped the lives of the presidents of the 20th-century. Many of the presidents were guided by a special teacher and fondly recalled their influence, but wherever in America they were educated and whatever circumstances they faced, each young man developed a special regard for schooling and the importance of education.

These souvenirs include Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Groton School report cards, a photograph of Dwight Eisenhower from his freshman class at Abilene High School, Richard Nixon’s diploma from Whittier College, California and a photograph of Ronald Reagan on his college swimming team. Saved by the Presidential Libraries, they illustrate something of what these leaders accomplished, remembered and valued in the classrooms of their youth.