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Quiz about Ex Preston School of Industry CA
Quiz about Ex Preston School of Industry CA

Ex Preston School of Industry (CA) Quiz


Preston School of Industry, also known as Preston Castle, is a landmark in the city of Ione, California. This quiz will highlight a few of those who spent time as wards of the state, or juvenile offenders within its walls.

A multiple-choice quiz by babsr. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
babsr
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
373,144
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
142
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Francis McCown was a ward in the late 1930s. He was sent there at the age of 13 for stealing a revolver. After additional incarcerations, he was paroled just before his twenty-first birthday. His big break came when, during a period of odd jobs, he met a Hollywood actor, whose wife was an agent. After a name change, he became a well-known actor, producer and screenwriter. Who was this former scofflaw? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Remember Jack Benny's valet/butler Rochester from his radio and television shows? His photo is on display at Preston Castle. What was his name? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Even the "Okie from Muskogee" spent time at Preston. Who is this well-known country western star? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. According to Preston's records, this rum runner and future Las Vegas casino operator spent time there as a wayward youth. Who was it? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This youthful offender found a love of literature in the Preston School library. He is a key figure in the Beat Movement, and is known as the driver of the bus which took Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters cross-country. Known by his initials in Alan Ginsberg's "Howl", who was this counterculture hero? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This graduate of Preston's boxing program took on some of the greatest fighters, with a significant number of wins, including knockouts, during his career. It is speculated that his sharp "hit and move" style was studied by a younger Muhammad Ali. Who was this heavyweight contender? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Another participant in Preston's boxing regimen fared somewhat better, winning the welterweight championship, but whose life in and out of the ring involved mob associates, drinking, partying, and chain smoking. Who was this boxer? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Pancho Gonzales is considered as possibly the greatest player of all time in what sport? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. For some, their time incarcerated, including at Preston started them on a path of service. This man was responsible for establishing the 7th Step program to assist hardcore offenders in getting out of prison and staying out. The program was based on Alcoholics Anonymous' 12 Step program, but was set to 7 steps, with the first letters of each step coming together to spell FREEDOM. Who was this man? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. For others, Preston was only a way station in a life of crime. This scofflaw was captured after robbing several banks, and was #4 on the FBI's Most Wanted list. During an escape attempt, he killed a US Marshall, and was sentenced to life imprisonment on Alcatraz Island. Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Francis McCown was a ward in the late 1930s. He was sent there at the age of 13 for stealing a revolver. After additional incarcerations, he was paroled just before his twenty-first birthday. His big break came when, during a period of odd jobs, he met a Hollywood actor, whose wife was an agent. After a name change, he became a well-known actor, producer and screenwriter. Who was this former scofflaw?

Answer: Rory Calhoun

Rory Calhoun appeared in a number of films, and television programs, active until 1993. He passed away at the age of 76, in 1999.

Alan Ladd's wife, Sue Carol was the agent who took Calhoun under her wing, and introduced him to Hollywood.

Audie Murphy was a Medal of Honor recipient from combat during World War II, who became a Hollywood actor following the war.

Gene Autry, the "Singing Cowboy", is well known for his illustrious career achievements.
2. Remember Jack Benny's valet/butler Rochester from his radio and television shows? His photo is on display at Preston Castle. What was his name?

Answer: Eddie Anderson

Of those listed, only Eddie Anderson is the real Rochester. His full birth name was Edmund Lincoln Anderson. I made up the others ...
3. Even the "Okie from Muskogee" spent time at Preston. Who is this well-known country western star?

Answer: Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard's school file notes that he "likes to sing and play the guitar". He is said to also sport a tattoo saying "PSoI". He spent his time at the age of 16 in 1953. After his release from Preston, Merle attended a Lefty Frizzell concert, singing along. Frizzell heard him, was impressed, and gave him his first break. The rest, as they say, is history.

Johnny Cash did spend time in detention, but not at Preston, nor, even as the song implies, at Folsom Prison.

Willie Nelson did not spend time in detention, but did run afoul of the IRS.

Waylon Jennings also did not spend time in detention, but with the others was part of the outlaw style of country music.
4. According to Preston's records, this rum runner and future Las Vegas casino operator spent time there as a wayward youth. Who was it?

Answer: Tony Cornero

After teenage years spent at Preston, Tony Cornero became a successful bootlegger during the Prohibition years, and used his talents to develop a roadside casino, "The Meadows" in Las Vegas, switched to floating casinos when the mob torched "The Meadows" following attempts to extort money from him, and ultimately returned to Las Vegas to build the Stardust Resort and Casino. He died under questionable circumstances before the casino was completed, although it went on to become one of the premier spots on The Strip.

Al Capone was a Chicago mobster, and Frank Nitti was his right hand man.

For a time, Frank Sinatra held an interest in the Sands Casino in Las Vegas, and was on the FBI's watch list because of his friendship with several purported members of the Mafia.
5. This youthful offender found a love of literature in the Preston School library. He is a key figure in the Beat Movement, and is known as the driver of the bus which took Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters cross-country. Known by his initials in Alan Ginsberg's "Howl", who was this counterculture hero?

Answer: Neal Cassady

Neal Cassady's "stream of consciousness" manner of speaking and writing significantly influenced Jack Kerouac, who rewrote his first draft of "On The Road" to reflect N.C.'s style. All four of these men, as well as Alan Ginsberg and Ken Kesey, were central to the Beat Movement, giving birth to "beatniks", and then progressing to the "hippie" movement.
6. This graduate of Preston's boxing program took on some of the greatest fighters, with a significant number of wins, including knockouts, during his career. It is speculated that his sharp "hit and move" style was studied by a younger Muhammad Ali. Who was this heavyweight contender?

Answer: Eddie Machen

Eddie Machen appeared to have it all, with a solid future in boxing, but his life never seemed to match the expectations. A lifetime record of 50 wins (29 KOs), 11 losses (3 KOs), and 3 draws, and the opportunity to box Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, Ingemar Johansson among others didn't balance out with reality. He died at the age of 40 in a fall from a second story window. It has never been conclusively determined whether it was an accident or a suicide.
7. Another participant in Preston's boxing regimen fared somewhat better, winning the welterweight championship, but whose life in and out of the ring involved mob associates, drinking, partying, and chain smoking. Who was this boxer?

Answer: Don Jordan

Don Jordan took down Virgil Akins to win the welterweight championship, and later defended it in a rematch. After hitting rock bottom, he left the boxing world, going from job to job, finally finding steady work with Douglas Aircraft. Attacked and beaten senseless by unknown assailants bent on robbery in broad daylight, he went into a coma and passed away five months later. He was 62.

Carmen Basilio and Tony DeMarco were also welterweight boxers.
8. Pancho Gonzales is considered as possibly the greatest player of all time in what sport?

Answer: Tennis

Arrested for burglary at age 15, he spent a year at Preston, honing his skills on the tennis court. After release, he spent two years in the US Navy. He then re-entered the tennis world, establishing himself in the professional category.
9. For some, their time incarcerated, including at Preston started them on a path of service. This man was responsible for establishing the 7th Step program to assist hardcore offenders in getting out of prison and staying out. The program was based on Alcoholics Anonymous' 12 Step program, but was set to 7 steps, with the first letters of each step coming together to spell FREEDOM. Who was this man?

Answer: Bill Sands

Bill Sands was influenced by Warden Clinton Duffy at San Quentin, and with the Reverend James Post developed the program. He also wrote a best-selling autobiography, "My Shadow Ran Fast".

The other two names are made up.
10. For others, Preston was only a way station in a life of crime. This scofflaw was captured after robbing several banks, and was #4 on the FBI's Most Wanted list. During an escape attempt, he killed a US Marshall, and was sentenced to life imprisonment on Alcatraz Island.

Answer: Joseph Cretzer

After a period of time in D-Block, Alcatraz's solitary confinement area, Joseph Cretzer was released back into the regular prisoner population. Given the opportunity to attempt another escape, he was involved in the taking of several guards hostage. When the attempt soured, he opened fire on the hostages, and was subsequently killed. It is not clear as to whether he was killed, or committed suicide when he was trapped.

Arnold Kyle was a fellow inmate as well as a member of his gang, and his brother-in-law.

The so-called "Battle of Alcatraz" has been depicted in two motion pictures: "Alcatraz - The Whole Shocking Story" with Telly Savalas portraying Cretzer (1980), and "Six Against The Rock" with Howard Hesseman as Cretzer (1987).
Source: Author babsr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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