Clifton Hillegass
A Brief Summary of “The Life and Times of Clifton Hillegass”
Characters: Clifton Hillegass, two wives, four children, a stepson
and seven grandchildren
Chapter One: Born Clifton Keith Hillegass, Rising City, Nebraska in 1918.
Chapter Two: Graduates Midland Lutheran College, works at Nebraska Book Company. Briefly serves as a meteorologist in the Army Air Corps.
Chapter Three: Gets $4,000 loan in 1958 to publish his initial batch of CliffsNotes.
Sells 58,000 copies in first year.
Chapter Four: Sells Cliffs Notes to IDG Books in 1998 for $14 million.
Chapter Five: Dies May 5, 2001
Summary: Visionary finds way for many to know much while doing little.