In his satirical self-reflection piece titled, “The Prince and The Pauper; My College Roommate became an Oligarch,” Lloyd Grove discusses how wildly his own life path diverged from that of Anthony Petrello, his former roommate at Yale. Though Grove’s position as editor at large of The Daily Beast is no small feat, Petrello’s current status as a captain of industry is fairly awe inspiring, especially given his modest background. Grove recalled his friend Tony as “a public-school scholarship kid from working-class Newark,” always quick with a joke and a laugh.
While sharing their dorm at at Yale University, Grove attained his BA in English and Petrello achieved his MS in Mathematics, demonstrating his superior mathematical ability. Petrello even became a protégé of Professor Serge Lang, the world-renowned text book author and professor emeritus of mathematics at Yale. The brief acquaintance ended when Lloyd Grove continued writing and Petrello pursued his JD from Harvard, moving on to work for a Manhattan law firm and then one of the firm’s clients, Nabor Industries.
After climbing through the ranks, Petrello currently serves as the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Nabors Industries. Grove mustered up the courage to contact his former roommate’s office, and he received an email back which quipped, “one life lesson I have learned is that between being smart or being lucky—lucky is better.” Having risen through the ranks with quick wit and business acumen, Tony Petrello still maintains his sense of humor.
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