A Day in the Life: PETER FORD ’62
On moving to Palos Verdes from Beverly Hills I want to start by saying I loved Chadwick. Still, I believe that most of the folks reading this won’t be able to personally relate to my story. At the time that I started attending Chadwick, I was the antithesis of what makes a Chadwick student. Tat changed, of course. But if my story does resonate with anyone, it will be with the more adventurous student. I entered Chadwick in eleventh grade.
About Peter Ford
Peter Ford, son of Hollywood actor Glenn Ford and musical star Eleanor Powell, graduated from Chadwick School in 1962. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Southern California. After graduating from college, Ford pursued a career in show business. During that time, he also joined the Photo Unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant. He retired in 1995 after 22 years of service. Ford was also a licensed contractor, building and remodeling custom homes throughout Southern California. Ford’s recent book, Glenn Ford: A
Life, has earned major accolades and is now available on
Amazon.com. He currently lives in Beverly Hills with his wife, Lynda, to whom he has been married for more than 40 years. They have three children. Please visit him at
www.PeterFord.com and
www.GlennFordBio.com
My parents [actor Glenn Ford and musical star Eleanor Powell] had divorced in 1959, and I had been traumatized by much that had happened in my life. I was angry. I had a very big chip on my shoulder. I spent a lot of time without parental supervision, and as such, I was out of control. My mother realized she needed to find me a stable boarding school environment, and she remembered that I had participated in a summer camp program at Chadwick School when I was younger. In a matter of weeks, I found myself traveling up the long, long driveway to get to the school. Tere was one way up, and one way out. Tat’s it. At first I thought I was a prisoner. As someone from Beverly Hills who could roam at will, it was extremely different for me. I was used to a different lifestyle. I loved to party. I thought I was James Dean. I wasn’t used to the surfer boys, or the quiet atmosphere. Turns out, that is just what I needed. When I got to Chadwick, I had an attitude. I was looking for trouble. My most surprising discovery was that at Chadwick, I couldn’t find anyone to challenge me. No one there was angry.
On his mentor, Jack Holland One teacher re-made me, and I owe everything to him. His name was Jack Holland. He became a surrogate father to me. He counseled me. He turned me from a recalcitrant kid into a mainstream man. He knew I needed him, and he saw a glimmer of hope in me of something I could be. I wouldn’t have written my book — or amounted to much of anything — without him. My father was responsible for a lot of the anger I had growing up. He was never there for me — physically or emotionally. I had no male influence in my life to teach me how to be a man. It took Mr. Holland to guide me to being a worthy human being. His advice? Celebrate yourself. You owe it to yourself to do better and contribute to society. Of course, I didn’t change overnight.
Tere were many movie star children who went to Chadwick at the time, and most of us shared a similar story. I became the class clown. An attention seeker. I remember someone paying me 50 cents to eat a moth during study hall one day — and I did. I needed to be the focus of attention, and I didn’t know how else to do it. But with Mr. Holland’s counsel, I eventually grew out of that and found that I had within me the ability to get attention though deeds and work.
On his favorite Chadwick memories Well, I immediately found the other pranksters in my class: Don Tompson and Rick Shaw. I pulled many a joke (and made many memories) with those guys, although we never got caught … I don’t think.
“I owe my Chadwick epiphany to Mr. Holland. He saved my life and made me the man I am today.”
10 THE COMPASS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68