Ted Bundy - Critical Beginnings

Ted Bundy was born Theodore Robert Cowell at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont. For the first four years of his life he lived happily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his mother, Louise Cowell, and his grandparents. His mother then moved to Tacoma, Washington, where she met and married John Culpepper Bundy, known as Johnnie. Ted was soon joined by two brothers and a sister. Ted and his stepfather did not have a close relationship. By high school Ted referred to him as John.

Ted Bundy. (AP/Wide World Photos)

Ted enjoyed skiing and the structured environment of the classroom where he felt confident. The opinions of the few friends he had were extremely important to him. He was regarded by his peers as scholarly. Most people at Wilson High School predicted he had a bright future when he graduated in 1965. But Ted was shy. By his first year at the University of Puget Sound, his high school friends had moved on and he was spending most of his time alone.

Ted's prized possession was a vehicle, a 1958 Volkswagen Bug he had purchased for $400. Ted transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle for his sophomore year and had his first serious dating experience. The woman soon broke off the relationship with him due to his immaturity. Devastated, he immersed himself in university classes and Republican Party politics.