Editing Howard Stern (section)

==Early life and education==
Howard Allan Stern was born on January 12, 1954, the second child of Ben (1923–2022) and Ray (''[[née]]'' Schiffman) Stern (b. 1927), in the [[Jackson Heights, Queens|Jackson Heights]] neighborhood of [[Queens]] in New York City.{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=2}} Stern's parents are [[Jewish]]. Their families are from Poland and [[Austria-Hungary]].{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=2}} Ray was an office clerk in New York City{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=2}}{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=44}} before she became a homemaker and later took up work as an [[respiratory therapist|inhalation therapist]].{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=92}} Ben served in the U.S. Army on Long Island and in California during the war.{{Clarification needed|reason=Which war?|date=April 2025}} He later worked as a radio engineer at [[WZRC|WHOM]] in [[Manhattan]]{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=7}} and as a co-owner and operator at Aura Recording Inc., a Manhattan recording studio where cartoons and commercials were cut.{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=7}} Stern described his older sister Ellen as the "complete opposite" of himself and "very quiet." {{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=46}}
[[File:Howard Stern high school yearbook, 1972.png|left|thumb|Howard Stern as a high school senior in 1972]]
In 1955, the family moved to [[Roosevelt, New York]], on [[Long Island]],{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=3}} where Stern attended Washington-Rose Elementary School followed by [[Roosevelt High School (Roosevelt, New York)|Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School]].{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=9}} Stern also attended [[Hebrew school]] where he was given the name Tzvi.<ref>{{Cite episode |first= Howard |last= Stern |series=[[The Howard Stern Show]] |date= September 15, 2014 |station=[[Howard 100]] |time= 7:00 a.m. hour }}</ref> As a youngster Stern took five years of piano lessons<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cbs.com/shows/late_show/wahoo_gazette/1001578/ |title= Dave and Howard Stern dance and make up |date= November 22, 2013 |work=[[CBS]] |access-date= February 20, 2015 }}</ref> and took an interest in [[marionette]]s, using them to entertain his friends with explicit shows. He formed a band with two school friends, the Electric Comicbook, on vocals and keyboards.{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=6}} From the age of nine to his second year at university, Stern spent his summers at Camp Wel-Met, a youth camp in [[Narrowsburg, New York]] where he worked camper, kitchen, and counselor duties. He recalled his time there as "the greatest experience." {{sfn|Luerssen|2009|p=172}}
{{quote box
| width = 30em
| align = right
| halign = left
| quote = When I saw my father as a recording engineer&nbsp;... I was enamored. Looking at how my father was so reverential to those people, I thought that maybe he could look at me with that kind of respect if I could get behind a microphone.
| salign = right
| style = padding:10px;
| source = — Stern on his father's influence<ref name=billboard2014>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/howard-stern-the-billboard-cover-qa-5876916/|title=Howard Stern: The Billboard Cover Q&A |first2=Gary |last2=Trust |first1=Silvio |last1=Pietroluongo |date=January 20, 2014|access-date=February 4, 2022|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
}}
Stern wished to be in radio at the age of five.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=111}} He was an infrequent listener in his youth, but names talk personalities [[Bob Grant (radio host)|Bob Grant]] and [[Brad Crandall]] as early influences.<ref name=billboard2014/><ref name=kingtranscript/> His father set up a microphone, tape machine, and turntable in the basement of his home, which Stern used to record his make-believe radio shows, incorporating different characters and pre-recorded prank calls, sketches, and commercials.{{sfn|Colford|1997|pp=6, 9}} He made several visits to his father's recording studio and witnessed "some of the great voice guys" work with him, including [[Don Adams]] and [[Larry Storch]] voice ''[[Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales]]'', which began his desire to be on the air and "do a show", rather than play records.<ref name=kingtranscript>{{cite news |url= http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/05/lkl.01.html |title= Interview With Howard Stern |work=[[Larry King Live]] |publisher=[[CNN]] |date= January 5, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130728060103/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/05/lkl.01.html |archive-date= July 28, 2013 }}</ref>{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=114}}{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=113}}

In the late 1960s, Roosevelt became a predominantly black area; Stern remembered just "a handful of white kids" had remained in his school and repeated instances of bullying from black students.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=65}} In June 1969, the family moved to nearby [[Rockville Centre, New York|Rockville Centre]], and Stern, at age fifteen, transferred to [[South Side High School (Rockville Centre, New York)|South Side High School]] where he became "a total introvert."{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=17}} He graduated from the school in 1972;{{sfn|Colford|1997|pp=16–17}} his yearbook lists Stern's sole student activity, a membership of [[Key Club]].<ref name=Ketcham>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/nyregion/about-long-island-at-the-repository-of-high-school-memories.html?pagewanted=all |first= Diane |last= Ketcham |title= At the Repository of High School Memories |access-date= September 12, 2013 |date= February 12, 1995 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref>

In 1972, Stern declined a place at [[Elmira College]] to instead pursue a communications degree at [[Boston University]],{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=28}} but his average high school grades caused him to spend the first two years in its College of Basic Studies.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=115}} In his second year, he started work at the campus radio station [[WTBU (college radio)|WTBU]], where he played records, read the news, and hosted interview programs.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=115}} With three fellow students, he later co-hosted a weekly comedy show named ''The King Schmaltz Bagel Hour'', which was initially canceled during its first broadcast for a racial sketch named "Godzilla Goes to Harlem".{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|pp=115–117}} Stern took cannabis, [[Methaqualone|Quaaludes]], and [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]] during his studies, but he quit after he experienced a difficult trip on too much LSD.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=114}}

In 1974, he gained admission to the university's [[Boston University College of Communication|School of Public Communications]].{{sfn|Colford|1997|pp=31, 33}} He then studied for a diploma at the Radio Engineering Institute of Electronics in [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]], Virginia, in July 1975, which earned him a first-class [[General radiotelephone operator license|radio-telephone operator license]], a required certificate for all radio broadcasters at the time, which was issued by the [[Federal Communications Commission]].{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=121}}<ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VWQzAAAAIBAJ&pg=4720%2C66309 |title= Stern's Start |work=[[The Free Lance-Star]] |first= Michael |last= Zitz |date= July 1, 1994 |access-date= May 14, 2010 }}</ref> With the license, Stern landed his first professional radio job at [[WNTN]] in [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]], Massachusetts from August to December 1975 doing air shifts, news casting, and production work.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=123}} For the next five months, he taught students basic electronics in preparation for their own [[FCC]] exams.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=123}}

In May 1976, Stern graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' with a 3.8-[[grading (education)|grade point average]]. His major was broadcasting and film, and his minor was English and speech.{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=115}} In the past, he funded a scholarship at the university.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bu.edu/bulletins/com/item19.html |title= Boston University 2009–10 College of Communication Bulletin |work=[[Boston University]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100511134619/http://www.bu.edu/bulletins/COM/item19.html |archive-date= May 11, 2010 }}</ref>