Editing Dan Rather (section)

== Early life ==
[[File:Dan Rather boyhood home IMG 1055.JPG|thumb|Rather's boyhood home being restored at the Wharton County Museum]]
Rather was born on October 31, 1931, in [[Wharton County, Texas]], the son of Daniel Irvin Rather Sr., a ditch digger and pipe layer,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://danratherjournalist.org/about-dan/biography|title=Biography &#124; Dan Rather| website = danratherjournalist.org |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180906052542/https://danratherjournalist.org/about-dan/biography|archive-date= September 6, 2018 |url-status= dead| access-date=September 5, 2018}}</ref> and the former Byrl Veda Page.  Neither of his parents completed high school; however, they were avid readers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dan Rather |url=https://www.k-state.edu/landon/speakers/dan-rather/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=www.k-state.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Crosby |first=Christine |date=December 22, 2017 |title=DAN RATHER – If It's Going To Be... |url=https://www.grandmagazine.com/2017/12/dan-rather-if-its-going-to-be-its-up-to-me/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Grand Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The Rathers moved to [[Houston]] when he was a child, where Dan attended Lovett Elementary School and Hamilton Middle School. He graduated in 1950 from [[John H. Reagan High School (Houston, Texas)|John H. Reagan High School]] in Houston where he played football.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Dan Rather: Hall of Fame Tribute |url=https://www.emmys.com/news/hall-fame/dan-rather-hall-fame-tribute |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref> Rather aspired to be a reporter, and his mother encouraged him to attend college and to become the [[First-generation college students in the United States|first person in the family to earn a college degree]].<ref name=":0" />  He hitchhiked to [[Sam Houston State University|Sam Houston State Teachers College]] in [[Huntsville, Texas]] and walked on to the school's football team.<ref name=":0" />  

When he did not earn an athletic scholarship, Rather turned his focus to journalism and found part-time jobs to pay for tuition.<ref name=":0" /> In 1953, Rather earned a bachelor's degree in journalism, and he was editor of the school newspaper, ''The Houstonian''.<ref name=":1" /> <!--Also at Sam Houston,<ref>Then called Sam Houston State Teachers College. For more details, see [the "[[Sam Houston State University#Name changes|Name changes]]" section of] the article about the school that is now [as of 2017] called [[Sam Houston State University]].</ref>--> He was also a member of the Caballeros, the founding organization of the Epsilon Psi chapter of the [[Sigma Chi]] [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web | title= Sigma Chi: Epsilon Psi Chapter | publisher= Sam Houston State University | website= shsu.edu | url= http://www.shsu.edu/~eng_wpf/samsigs.html | access-date= March 8, 2008 | archive-date= November 23, 2020 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201123185515/https://www.shsu.edu/~eng_wpf/samsigs.html | url-status= dead }}</ref> While in college, Rather worked for [[KSAM-FM]] radio in Huntsville, calling junior high, high school, and Sam Houston State football games.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F0547548FD0D314&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D | first=Barry | last=Horn | title=Life goes full circle with turn in booth | via= newsbank.com}}</ref> After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Rather briefly attended [[South Texas College of Law]] in Houston.

In January 1954, Rather enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps]] and was sent to [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego]]. He was soon discharged, however, because he was found to have had [[rheumatic fever]] as a child, a fact he had omitted during the enlistment process.<ref name= "notablebios">{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ow-Sh/Rather-Dan.html |title=Dan Rather Biography |date=September 2005 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Biography |publisher= | via= notablebiographies.com |access-date= October 29, 2008}}</ref>