Clifton is pictured above (top left) in The Gumbo during his time as a freshman at Louisiana State University
Clifton completed fours years of high school and graduated in Hattiesburg in 1938.
He went on to complete one year of college education as a freshman at Louisiana State Universityin the 1940 to 1941 academic year.
He spent the years between high school and his time at Louisiana State University working as a shipping and receiving clerk in Hattiesburg. It likely that he returned to this job after his time at LSU before enlisting in the military.