In his youth, Mondale's family thought the names "Walter" and "Frederick" were too stilted for a boy, so they called him "Fritz", a common German and Scandinavian diminutive form of Friedrich or Frederick. Due to the Great Depression, Mondale grew up in poverty. His family moved from Ceylon to Heron Lake in 1934, and to Elmore in 1937.Lewis, p. 11 Throughout his youth, Mondale was influenced heavily by his father's religious beliefs, including support for the civil rights movement.Lewis, p. 12 In 1948, his father died of a stroke.Lewis, p.17 Mondale attended public schools and then Macalester College for two years before transferring to the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1951.
In his youth, Mondale's family thought the names "Walter" and "Frederick" were too stilted for a boy, so they called him "Fritz", a common German and Scandinavian diminutive form of Friedrich or Frederick. Due to the Great Depression, Mondale grew up in poverty. His family moved from Ceylon to Heron Lake in 1934, and to Elmore in 1937.Lewis, p. 11 Throughout his youth, Mondale was influenced heavily by his father's religious beliefs, including support for the civil rights movement.Lewis, p. 12 In 1948, his father died of a stroke.Lewis, p.17 Mondale attended public schools and then Macalester College for two years before transferring to the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1951.