Show I The Boyhood of famo Famous s 9 lJ Americans i naw Walter S S. S Gifford College students If Un they are am and need to make their nay any In the world tx begin gln to hunt bunt jobs In the z spring before their t graduation Walto W Wal Walter D J. J ter to S. S Gifford was In this cla class lie He liea a K decided decide In his ills senior year jear Nar at liar 4 yard vard that he wanted want ik ed es to work for fur the General Gln Electric company He lie ought fought no nod d friends t to timid an on L t opening for tor him hint Instead It h he e s sat n a t down and wrote a n letter applying for for a Job Joh He lie directed the lope envelope to the Western 11 Electric company by mistake lie He received l on an application blank from frolD that In company compan reply While Willie embarrassed by bJ his error I In writing riling a D letter to General and then sending It In an envelope addressed addressed ad od dressed to Western Vestern EI Electric he forgot for got about It when he was US hired as a clerk derk by hy the latter company Ills Hg pay was 10 lU u II week Meek Ills His letter of ot application wIllene well wIll wellene ene serve as ItS a model to young joung men today many who are seeking to get their start inthe lu in luthe the bu business world lie III wrote In part It It Is my lilY wish to enter some good us soup soon as o. pu puss ble after I IIla Ila loa lease here Now ow if It there I Is only tune dome position no matter I shut iro there will sill III bo ho a u fair for fur n II rise If It It Is III deserved In the tier trie company I 1 should like 11 to 10 Ir try It and could fU endeavor lUor to ID suit The fact I that hat for two years jours 11 rs out here I 1 studied I a II great deal on lh the Iii mechanical side ChI mathematics stem Hiem- lair etc nay may help as ns to the kind of If u position I could Ell Ml I 1 bean I with Ith the Intention of ot bec becoming a mining min ing lag engineer but hut for reasons tune have abandoned It It If you JIU wish any Ouy references etc ete I think I could get Iet them for of ot course you ou know nothing about what sort of ot ofa ota a fellow I am am Walter S. S Clifford n was YOs as born in Salem Mass In 1855 He lie wrote hi his letter of application ou In 1004 1104 the year Ctr he was graduated from Harvard ur Ills lIis early education was rl received lu iu the public schools of his native city He lie was a II abright fright bright student and und was able to ent enter r high school when he was eleven ele years lars old lie He completed hl ills his course at liar Hur- yard ard In three years ears The future head bead of ot the American Telephone and Telegraph company 18 not 1101 a aery ery very husk husky and robust lu lad lud When Ms ills companions were placing baseball football tool fool ha baU U und and other games be he hewus was rally gent oil off getting his exercise and recreation by hy collecting butterflies an and other Insects Inset He lie had a notable collection a hen hell he be was u II high school pupil They were nil catalogued under under un un- der r their Latin n names named Ills pis mother r had been n n II school teacher teacher teach teach- er before her marriage While she had bad other children she was able to ote devote muc much It time to teaching her sun son Walter The lads lad's memory was not of ot the best when he be was a n schoolboy and andas andas as a rl result he be learned early to dig out the fuels fula lie He was able uble to remember them by not attempting to clutter his mind With nones non essential details It was an excellent lesson for the youngster to learn leant Perhaps much of ot othis his success Buress In the business world can be laid to his bis ability to eliminate te unImportant unimportant un important details and aud get down to the bed rock of ot u a proposition Ills His college lollee course was a 8 success It didn't give gl him an Inflated Idea of his knowledge or ability as his letter of application for tor his first Job shows lIe He had learned that a man has to begin be gin In at the bottom to be of real value alue to himself or to a II business He lie was was willing as he be wrote to take toke anything on thing as Jong us liS It offered an un opportunity fur for advancement od If he lie made goodIll good He Ill could have hove gone to work In a Salem Solem bank bonk when he was graduated Ills His father would have bave obtained him a position but the youngster had bad other Ideas He Ill wanted wonted to stand on his own feet felt lie He did so when he took the 10 a 8 week Job joh w with Ith the Western 1 company Ills His first Job called coiled for tor him to snake make the trip to Chicago lie He borrowed money to pa pay hU i fare tare rather than to accept It from his father lIe He was determined to 10 make his own way from the ery very outset of his business career Wages of 10 O a week didn't go very far tar en e lu u 1404 1004 Young Gifford managed managed man aged to make It do somehow lie He li lived ed ed edat at ot lull Hull louse House In Chicago where he had bod comfortable and congenial surroundings surroundings sur at little expense Needless to say SOrt on his meager wages be he had little chance to do an anything thing but work He lie rose from a pay roll clerk to 10 a position as 81 assistant treasurer In a short time with a good Increase In salary It wasn't long before he be was chief statistician of ot the American Telephone and und Telegraph company the attention at In that position he attracted of Theodore N. N Vail then head of the concern and gained further promotion When Mr Jr Vail fall retired lI the m man n. n who made the mistake as os a college boy buy had hod of misdirecting hI his letter of application lion tion for o a Job was made the head hlad of utility organizations or or- one olle of the worlds world's greatest t StyThe by The North American Americas Newspaper Alliance |