Charles Whitman was born and raised in Lake Worth, Florida with his two younger brothers Patrick and John. His dad, C.A Whitman, was a successful plumbing contractor and also an accomplished businessman with the help of Charles’s mom. Despite being a hard worker, Whitman’s father believed in abusive behavior, or corporal punishment, as a form of discipline for the boys. He also had a propensity for mixing love and violence, often in the same sentence. He always resolved matters with discipline and sometimes even laid his hands on Margaret.
In Whitman’s childhood, neighbors described him as “high spirited”, fun, and never one to make trouble. He attended Sacred Heart Catholic grade school and was a very good student and had honor roll all …show more content…
(Afterall, it was Whitman’s dad that showed him how to properly hold and shoot one.) In 1959, Whitman was stationed at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba and was described as “ the kind of guy you would want around if you went into combat.” (Lavergne page 18) He earned a Good Conduct Medal, a Sharpshooter’s badge and the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal for his service in Cuba. Whitman decided to go to college and applied to the University of Texas in 1961. Whitman was accepted into the University of Texas' mechanical engineering program on September 15, 1961 through a USMC …show more content…
He took them to keep awake during finals week and other students considered him a “major abuser.” Charles also had many headaches, but he didn’t think taking drugs were the source of them. However, the drugs started to play a major role in his psychological problems and Whitman’s whole personality started to change. He said, “I talked with a doctor once, for about two hours and tried to convey to him my fears that I felt come overwhelming violent impulses. After one session I never saw the doctor again, and since then I have been fighting my mental turmoil alone, and seemingly to avail.” Charles felt like it was just himself battling his mental problems, with no one to support
In Whitman’s childhood, neighbors described him as “high spirited”, fun, and never one to make trouble. He attended Sacred Heart Catholic grade school and was a very good student and had honor roll all …show more content…
(Afterall, it was Whitman’s dad that showed him how to properly hold and shoot one.) In 1959, Whitman was stationed at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba and was described as “ the kind of guy you would want around if you went into combat.” (Lavergne page 18) He earned a Good Conduct Medal, a Sharpshooter’s badge and the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal for his service in Cuba. Whitman decided to go to college and applied to the University of Texas in 1961. Whitman was accepted into the University of Texas' mechanical engineering program on September 15, 1961 through a USMC …show more content…
He took them to keep awake during finals week and other students considered him a “major abuser.” Charles also had many headaches, but he didn’t think taking drugs were the source of them. However, the drugs started to play a major role in his psychological problems and Whitman’s whole personality started to change. He said, “I talked with a doctor once, for about two hours and tried to convey to him my fears that I felt come overwhelming violent impulses. After one session I never saw the doctor again, and since then I have been fighting my mental turmoil alone, and seemingly to avail.” Charles felt like it was just himself battling his mental problems, with no one to support