Katie Ring

He decided to study Chinese, thinking he could work in the State Department someday as a liaison to East Asia.

It might seem like kind of a random choice, but with Ted, everything was calculated.

In his mind, working for the government was the kind of position that would give him the authority and control he wanted so badly.

The change of scenery also helped Ted get something else he wanted, a girlfriend.

It wasn't long before he hit it off with a classmate named Diane Edwards, a beautiful, driven young woman from a wealthy California family.

When they started dating, it seemed like Ted finally found everything he wanted.

But the problem was he didn't feel like he was good enough for Diane.

She expected a lot from a boyfriend, and he tried to live up to those expectations by dressing better and improving his conversational skills.

But he couldn't handle the pressure.

Sometime in 1967, when Ted was 20 or 21, he was starting to question everything, including his career goals.

His grades took a nosedive and he was still overcome with unhealthy sexual desires.

Ted thought that having a loving girlfriend would stop him from fantasizing about violence.

But now he was afraid that those thoughts would never truly go away.

Things only got worse when Diane dumped Ted after about a year of dating.

The breakup confirmed his worst insecurities.

And instead of proving them wrong, he gave into them.

The next year in 1968, Ted dropped out of college.

He spent the next few months traveling aimlessly around the country, not doing much of anything.

But Ted hadn't completely given up on making something of himself.

So when an old friend suggested getting involved in politics, he gave it a chance.