Born and raised on a farm in Michigan, Drake’s early education was largely self-taught.
Working as many as three jobs at a time, he was able to save enough money to put himself
through school. He attended and later taught at the University of Michigan. A personal hobby is the study of the occult; he has published several papers and three books on the subject and how it relates to abnormal psychology. His work in this field has been well received and, as a consequence, Abelard became aware of Drake and brought him into his inner circle.