 He graduated from New Rochelle High School (NY) in 1937 and from Cornell University (where he also served as drum major of the Cornell Big Red Marching Band) with a BA in 1941.At the age of 23, he received his MD from the Weill Cornell Medical College in 1943.Since the Flexner recommendations had not yet been implemented, it was then still possible to graduate from an American medical school in two years.