Early Life
Heirens grew up in Lincolnwood, a suburb of Chicago. His family was poor and his parents argued incessantly leading Heirens to wander the streets to avoid listening to them. He took to crime and later claimed that he mostly stole for fun and to release tension. He never sold anything he had stolen.
At 13 years old, Heirens was arrested for carrying a loaded gun. A subsequent search of the Heirens’ home discovered a number of stolen weapons hidden in an unused storage shed on the roof of a nearby building along with furs, suits, cameras, radios and jewelry he had stolen. Heirens admitted to 11 burglaries and was sent to the Gibault School for wayward boys for several months.
Not long after his release, Heirens was again arrested for burglary. This time, he was sentenced to three years at St. Bede Academy, operated by Benedictine Monks. During his time at the school, Heirens stood out as an exceptional student and his test scores were so high he was urged to apply for the University of Chicago's special learning program. He was accepted into the program just before his release and asked to begin classes in the 1945 Fall term, allowing him to bypass high school. He was 16 years old.
Heirens returned home to live and commuted to the university but this was impractical and he eventually boarded at the university's Gates Hall. His parents were unable to afford either the tuition or boarding so Heirens worked several evenings a week as an usher and at the university as a docent to pay his way. However, he also resumed his serial burglary, even as he studied at the University of Chicago.
University of Chicago graduate Riva Berkovitz (PhB 1948) reports that Heirens was quite popular in the ballroom dancing class that they had together:
"I remember the most popular boy in my class, who was handsome, smart, and a good dancer. We all wanted to dance with him - the foxtrot, tango, or a waltz. It didn't really matter."
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