10 Things You Didn't Know About Condoleezza Rice

Compiled by the U.S.News & World Report library staff

Sen. John McCain disclosed that he is in the "embryonic stages" of selecting a running mate, whom he hopes to introduce at the Republican National Convention. While he refused to disclose any names, McCain told reporters that the list is about 20 deep, and "it's every name imaginable." This is one of a series of profiles on the candidates we imagine might be on his list and some things you may not know about the maybe-veeps. You can see the full list here. Condoleezza Rice is the U.S. secretary of state and is thought to be a possible running mate for McCain.

1. Rice was born on Nov. 14, 1954, in segregated Birmingham, Ala. Her family moved to Denver when she was 13.

2. Her name is derived from the Italian con dolcezza, a musical term which means to play "with sweetness."

3. In 1963, she felt and heard the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four girls, including her friend Denise McNair.

4. Growing up, she wanted to be a concert pianist. She was the first black student to attend classes at the Birmingham Southern Conservatory of Music.

5. She skipped the first and seventh grades and graduated from high school at age 15.

6. Rice earned a B.A. in political science at 19 from the University of Denver, where she studied international relations with Josef Korbel, Madeleine Albright's father.

7. She received seven honorary doctorates between 1991 and 2004 in addition to her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

8. She loves to shop and has been photographed for Vogue; she poses only in her own clothes and jewelry.

9. When Yo-Yo Ma received the National Medal of the Arts in 2002, he asked her to accompany him at the awards ceremony. She continues to play piano with an amateur chamber music group.

10. She gets up every day at 5 a.m. to exercise and is passionate about football. Her dream job is to be commissioner of the National Football League.

Sources
White House Secretary of State Bio
Encyclopedia of World Biography
O, The Oprah Magazine
Vogue
New York Times
4/17/2002; ON PRO FOOTBALL; Dream Job for Rice: N.F.L. Commissioner
4/9/2006; Condoleezza Rice on Piano