Editing Benjamin Spock (section)

=== Early life and education ===
{{MedalTableTop|name=no}}
{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]]}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Rowing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris]] |[[Rowing at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's eight|Eight]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}
Benjamin McLane Spock was born May 2, 1903, in [[New Haven, Connecticut]]. His parents were Benjamin Ives Spock, Yale graduate and long-time general counsel of the [[New Haven Railroad]], and Mildred Louise (Stoughton) Spock.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Barnes |first=Bart |date=2024-01-08 |title=Pediatrician Benjamin Spock Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/03/17/pediatrician-benjamin-spock-dies/f0e306b9-3a07-4e72-b237-5fd755b716b3/ |access-date=2024-10-04 |work=Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The family name had Dutch origins; they originally spelled it ''Spaak'' before migrating to the former colony of [[New Netherland]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Benjamin Spock -New Netherland Institute |url=http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/dutch_americans/benjamin-spock/|publisher=New Netherland Institute|access-date=October 24, 2019}}</ref> Spock was one of six children, including his younger sister, environmentalist writer [[Marjorie Spock]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Postel|first=Sandra|author-link=Sandra Postel|date=2020|title=Marjorie Spock: An Unsung Hero in the Fight Against DDT and in the Rise of the Modern Environmental Movement|url=https://www.pfeiffercenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Spock_DDT_NCHS_Journal.pdf|journal=The Nassau County Historical Society Journal|location=[[Nassau County, New York]]|publisher=Nassau County Historical Society|volume=75|pages=2}}</ref>

Spock attended [[Hamden Hall Country Day School]], and went on to attend his father's alma maters [[Phillips Andover Academy]] and [[Yale University]]. He studied [[literature]] and [[history]] at Yale; the lanky 6' 4" Spock was also active in [[college rowing]]. Eventually, he joined the [[Rowing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic rowing crew]] (Men's Eights) that won a gold medal at the [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 games in Paris]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/40880 |title=Benjamin Spock |work=Olympedia |access-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> At Yale, he was inducted into the Eta chapter of the [[Zeta Psi]] fraternity and the senior society [[Scroll and Key]]. He attended the [[Yale School of Medicine]] for two years before shifting to [[Columbia University]]'s [[Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons|College of Physicians and Surgeons]], from which he graduated first in his class in 1929.<ref>[https://drspock.com/ Biography of Spock at drspock.com]</ref> By that time, he had married Jane Cheney.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1998/06/14/public-vs-private-dr-spock-mr-hyde/43beeb6e-dda2-44a4-a622-6a59bf580179/|author=Kochakian, Mary Jo|title=Public vs. Private: Dr. Spock, Mr. Hyde|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 14, 1998}}</ref>