hiː ɡɹˈædjuːˌeɪɾᵻd fɹʌm bˈɛnsən pˌɑːlɪtˈɛknɪk hˈaɪ skˈuːl, wˌɛɹ hiː hæd wˈɜːkt ɔnðə skˈuːl nˈuːzpeɪpɚ, ænd spˈɛnt ɐ jˈɪɹ ɪnðə jˈuː.ˈɛs. nˈeɪvi ˈæftɚ bˌiːɪŋ dɹˈæftᵻd æt ðɪ ˈɛnd ʌvðə sˈɛkənd wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ.
He graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School, where he had worked on the school newspaper, and spent a year in the U.S. Navy after being drafted at the end of the Second World War.