Roland Fryer

摘要

Raised Partly by his grandmother in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Daytona Beach, Fla., Roland Fryer Jr. learned many things growing up, including the recipe for "crack pancakes." That culinary lesson was more indicative of his core educational experiences than traditional lessons such as reading and writing. But through the care of his grandmother and other mentors, young Roland was coaxed into attending school long enough to earn an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas at Arlington. The first flickers of his economic genius showed up in college, when he weighed his comparative advantages and shifted his focus from sports to economics and mathematics. By age 30, he had earned a Ph.D. and become the youngest tenured African-American professor in Harvard University's history.