LITTLE ROCK — With all the bad stuff in the news, it’s wholly a pleasure to hear a good story now and then. No wrecks, no trials, no angry politics. Just something that makes a reader smile.
Did you hear about young Peter Reed? And we’re not kidding about the young part. He’s not even old enough to drive. He’s all of 14. That means he was born, oh, about the time you may have been debating, along with everybody else, whether a certain impeached president should be removed from office. Yes, this Peter Reed is just a kid.
But he’s going to college. He’s a student at the University of Arkansas. Which is what happens when you’re 14 years old but still get a 26 on the ACT.
He doesn’t stand out on campus. That’s because, although he’s just 14, he’s also 6-1—so he may be just as tall as anybody else in the lecture hall. At his age, he may grow even taller. (Say, can he play basketball?)
Young Reed has been known to get a few strange looks once students are told his age. He says most of his professors assume he’s older. Once, when he told a sociology prof how old he was, the instructor asked, “Are you sure?”
Peter Reed is majoring in biology, and is considering medical school. He’s been home-schooled, and has read thousands of books by now. He was accepted at Fayetteville even before he’d turned 14. Last summer he earned 6 credits, and another 15 last fall. He has a GPA of 4.0.
Yessir, Mr. Professor, he can probably count to 14. But thanks for asking.
Good luck to Peter Reed. When you finally get old enough for a driver’s license, you might want to carry it around. To prove your age if nothing else.
Editorial, Pages 16 on 03/07/2012