Constellation Similarity Assertions

Donald Benjamin Fielding was born in Dallas, Texas on 7 July 1922 to parents Nathan and Bessie (nee Mesiroff) Finkelstein. In an autobiographical sketch (in this collection), Fielding notes important life influences were an education that began early, with his mother teaching him to read and write before entering kindergarten, and an incident he witnessed when he was eight or nine years old. The incident and its effect are described as "the abuse of a black woman by a Dallas policeman. It remains ingrained in my psyche." Also a member of the Temple Emanu-El and confirmed in 1935, many of the items in this collection convey Fielding's interest in religion and religious tolerance.

Fielding graduated from Forest Avenue High School in 1938 at age 15, the youngest in his class but top in academics with a 94.36 grade average. He chose to attend the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His goal was a career in foreign service. Noting that career ambition as motivation, Fielding changed his surname from Finkelstein to Fielding at the end of 1941, due to persuasion by his foreign trade professor.

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