His formal education ended abruptly at age 14 when financial difficulties in his father 's business forced him to quit school and earn a living .
As a youth he was an enthusiastic collector of rocks , fossils , and freshwater shells .
collector 's formal education ended abruptly at age 14 when financial difficulties in his father 's business forced him to quit school and earn a living .
As a youth he was an enthusiastic collector of rocks , fossils , and freshwater shells .