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Show T3fte AMERICAN (Copy for Thin Department Supplied by tta American Legion Newt Service. I LEADS IN MAKING GOOD AMERICANS Although Prank Clay Cross, new director di-rector of the national Americanism commission of the American Legion, has spent much of his life, as he says, "above the clouds," far up the sides of Colorado mountains just at the timber line, he measures up to a family tradition tra-dition of grasping the facts of life as they are and fighting to mold them Into something better. It Is the pioneer spirit, a spirit that goes out Into the wilderness and hews from dense forests homes and cities and states, a spirit that conquers t plains and mountains and, the physical I side subdued, moves on to wrestle mightily with the finer, the spiritual things. Frank Cross's family has been a family of fighting pioneers for generations, genera-tions, always on the frontier of civilization. civili-zation. His forebears came to America Amer-ica before the Revolution. His greatgrandfather great-grandfather was a pioneer settler In Marlon county, Indiana, where national na-tional headquarters of the Legion is located. The family trekked across country with the covered wagon. From Indiana they moved Into Iowa when that state was opening up. Then to Kansas and to Colorado, while the buffalo buf-falo were still on the plains and Indian bands roamed the country. "In coming com-ing to Indianapolis," he says, "I am the first of the tribe to back track and hit the trail for the East." He had laid a precedent In some sort for that, when he hit the trail for overseas and the battlefiekls of France when there was work that needed much to be done over there. Ancestors Ances-tors of his had fought In every one of the nation's wars. His entire family his father, two brothers and himself volunteered In '17. A younger brother, Charles, lost his life in France. Frank Cross put in 13 months In France. He was on detached service with the British north of Calais, looking look-ing after American troops who came V:'- ' . :'v:-:':::-x-':::: : & Frank Clay Cross. across the channel from England. Then he was sent down to Tours with the French, where he handled all shipments ship-ments out of that city. He was discharged dis-charged in Wyoming in July, 1919. He became assistant chemist with an oil company for about a year. In the Interval he married Miss Helen M. Fry, a former schoolmate at the University Uni-versity of Denver. She was of a family fam-ily of teachers and Cross' thoughts turned to that profession. He went in for more schooling economics, sociology soci-ology and political science and then became superintendent of a consolidated consoli-dated school. In 1923 he became head of the department of economics at the Colorado School of Mines. He also became a lecturer at the Denver "opportunity school." That was a turning point for him, the thing which led directly to his appointment as director of the Americanism commission. com-mission. He gave lectures of advice, Inspiration, information. He touched on anything which would be generally helpful to the foreign-born seeking to become American citizens and to play their part as such. He had two thoughts In mind. One was to give all the Information necessary to pass the naturalization examination. The other was to give them an understanding understand-ing and appreciation of America, of what the country stands for. of Its history, Its Institutions, Its customs, Its Ideals, Us aspirations and to inspire them to live good American citizens. "Just better citizenship" Is the way he sums It up. Helping to make out the questions for teacher examinations In the Colorado Colo-rado schools, the new director found out that many of the teachers, especially espe-cially In outlying districts, know "less than' a kid ought to know" about the fundamentals of Americanism: So he organized an Americanism section In the State F,:lueation association. He also formed the Allied Council for Americanism Committees, embracing the various patriotic societies of the state. . Meantime .Tnhn C. Vlvlnn, commander command-er of the Colorado department of the Legion, bad seen bis work and Invited him to become chairman of the stnte Americanism committee. From this position he was advanced by the national na-tional executive committee to the directorship di-rectorship "f the National Amerlcnn-sin Amerlcnn-sin coiiiin'.svi.-.n. whore he goes on plo-r-eriri" f:illiers had done for r Yomtc It'iMt . not with dreamy i. ii' iili a practicality that ,, ii, t of Hie prol I'-'in, for a |