MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
And now to your comments about yesterday's program. We begin with a postscript to our coverage of the possibility that CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta will become the next U.S. surgeon general.
MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
We mentioned that Dr. Gupta, if nominated and confirmed, could be the youngest surgeon general ever. He's 39. Well, we went back through our country's medical records and discovered that ever since the job was created, two U.S. surgeons general have been younger than Dr. Gupta.
BLOCK: Our very first surgeon general, John Maynard Woodworth, was 33 when he reported for duty back in 1871. And his successor, John B. Hamilton, was 31 when he began service in 1879.
NORRIS: And we have one correction. It's for yesterday's story about Bard College at Simon's Rock. That's the Massachusetts college where 15-year-olds can began classes without a high school diploma.
BLOCK: In the story, we heard Professor Hal Holladay as he taught his English class.
(SOUNDBITE OF ENGLISH CLASS)
HAL HOLLADAY: Who else lets go of the great wheel? Goneril and Regan.
BLOCK: We went on to imply that Goneril and Regan were characters in Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night." Well, you could call that our comedy of errors.
NORRIS: Steven Olsen(ph) of Belfast, Maine, wrote that we surely stumbled upon a totally awesome English professor at Simon's Rock College, one who is able to transplant Regan and Goneril into "Twelfth Night." Did King Lear make the switch as well? Mr. Olsen is right, and it is our mistake and not the professor's. Goneril and Regan appear in "King Lear," not "Twelfth Night."
BLOCK: Several of you also wrote to tell us that you could relate to the feeling of boredom that motivates students to leave high school early and attend Simon's Rock.
NORRIS: Carl Harris(ph) of Olympia, Washington, writes: I, too, was bored to tears during my last two years of high school, and that was 28 years ago. He points out that Simon's Rock is expensive and writes, although the folks at Bard College are to be commended for filling the high school boredom void, the story begs the broader question of why changes aren't being made in high schools to stimulate these young minds into wanting higher achievement.
BLOCK: And finally, yesterday we aired my interview with Christopher Stevens, author of a book called "Thirty Days Has September: Cool Ways to Remember Stuff." It inspired some of you to send in your own cool ways to remember stuff.
NORRIS: Well, we certainly welcome all your tricks, tirades and thoughts. Just visit npr.org and click "Contact Us" at the top of the page. Be sure to tell us where you live and how to pronounce your name.