OCR Text |
Show - f 4 II ( Sir Winston Ckurckil' .Jacqueline Kennedy Mickey Mantle Who Are Ora The other day youth-resear- sophomore in what national figure she high-scho- ol . cross-secti- , After a thoughtful moment, the girl replied: - "He had vigor, youth, and success and did so much for our country in such a short time. To ' me, he is a real national hero." Who was "he" ? John P. Kennedy "of course." Social scientists maintain that adolescence has always been the age of hero worship. "Teenagers need heroes," says Dr. Blaine Porter, president of the National Council on Family Relations. "If heroes are not offered to them, they will create their own." For inspiration, past generations of youngsters looked to such heroic models aa Charles Lindbergh, Gen. Douglas llacArthur, and Red Grange and more recently to the late Dr. Tom Dooley. Babe Ruth is a candy But to today's bar. World War II is ancient history, and a new set of heroes has arrived on the scene. To find out just who are the American teenagers' heroes this year, I conducted a nationwide . Ann-Margr- teen-ager- s. su rveyf orFA ' 11 iul Weekly . Getty.-Neith- -- Besides talking to scores of youngsters during y a recent trip, I consulted teachers. cross-countr- - Paul Newman John F. Kennedy John H. Glenn, Jr. r--y IC i) 0V;7 V Family Wttkly, April $, lf9 on teen-ager- s: ... , ch 4--H a pollster asked a Wilmette, 111., admired the most Teee-Ager-s' two leading organizations, the Clubs, the YMCA. Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., Junior Achievement, Seventeen Magazine, the Boys' Clubs of America, and other groups. Some had made their own canvass. One, Junior Achievement, conducted a special poll for this article. These groups represent 12 million teenagers from all the states, a major of our young people. Here are the names mentioned most frequently by these No. 1 hero: John F. Kennedy. Sports: Sftdy Koufax, Mickey Mantle. Space: John H. Glenn, Jr. Religion: Billy Graham, .Pope Paul VI. Science and medicine: Dr. Jonas Salk, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Ideal woman: Jacqueline Kennedy. Respected authority: Dwight D. Eisenhower. National figure: Lyndon B. Johnson. World figure: Sir Winston Churchill. Entertainment: Patty Duke. Richard Chamberlain, Vine Edwards, Doris Day, Paul Newman, Cary Grant, the Beatles, Bobby Vinton, Bob Dylan. Significantly, although our affluent society is alleged to worship money as a source of happiness, no financier or businessman appears on any list except Junior Achievements, which included er Henry-Tord does II and J. Paul any of the lists include a current war hero or a nuclear scientist By THEODORE IRWIN S CO Dorit Day et, A Girl Scouts "hero" questionnaire was issued to from 43 states at the Summer Roundup last year. It drew such answers as Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, and, surprisingly, Danny Kaye (for his work with children). Interpreting these choices, Margaret Chapman, Girl Scout program director, explains: "Girls who grow up in Scouting have learned the personal satisfaction that comes from helping others. It is only natural that they should admire people who have led a life of service and ." who most nearly meet their own The Gilbert Youth Research organization rein 25 cities: "What nacently asked in known the United States do person tionally most admire?" you By for, Mm largest number of votes went to John F. Kennedy, followed by Lyndon Johnson. Jacqueline Kennedy received 15 percent of the girls' preferences but only, one percent of the boys'. Also favored were most of the persons on our master list plus Adlai Stevenson and Bob Hope. Scattered votes went to Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Kennedy, and Soupy Sales. "Soupy Sales was created by says Eugene Gilbert, a leading authority in the field. "He is a zany guy who never grew seems that certain identify-wi- th up. It him." Seventeen Magazine sent a questionnaire about favorite screen stars to its subscribers, and the self-ideal- teen-age- rs . teen-agers- teen-age- Billy Graham Ann-Margr- rs et ," |