 The family left Poland in the fall of 1946 for Paris and, in late February 1947, left Paris for New York City, arriving on March 3.Shortly afterward, the family name was changed from Begleiter to Begley.After graduating from Erasmus Hall High School, Begley studied English literature at Harvard College (AB '54, summa cum laude), where he worked at "The Advocate", an undergraduate literary magazine.