Show small town boy makes good tells story of Will kies life by HAROLD E KENTON three months ago he was virtually unknown to the american public today he is the presidential nominee of the republican party and sage political prophets are predicting that on january 1 1941 he will be in the white house that is the saga of wendell L willkie his feat of sweeping into the philadelphia convention without political sponsors and taking the prize away from seasoned political rivals is unprecedented who is this man willkie what is he like what has he done briefly his story is the tale of a small town boy who made good who was never afraid to I 1 try ry his wings on a new flight in the 43 years of his life willkie has had a wide training in the american ican way of life he knows every section of the country he did farm work as a lad in indiana and later sold newspapers A few years later he harvested wheat in minnesota he worked in the oil fields of texas he ran a cement block machine in wyoming and operated a little hotel in colo colorado rado he was a vegetable picker in california he taught school in kansas and is remembered there during all his experience in laboring at various jobs he found time to attend indiana university and to graduate with high honors wendell willkie was born in elwood ind in 1892 the son of herman francis willkie a lawyer his P paternal ajernal grandfather was an emigrant from prussia who spelled his name willcie he came cam e to america of the ho to escape the oppression wendells mother like his father w was as a lawyer both parents believed in education for their children at home as well as in the school room he absorbed learning by the time he was 15 years old he had bad finished high school and wa was s able to matriculate at indiana university while there he earned most of the funds that kept him sometimes jobs around the university were scarce and young willkie had tough sledding his parents were never able to give him much financial backing and there were times when he had t to 0 leave college and work elsewhere back again in college willkie was able to attend long enough to get his degree college days over he returned to elwood and entered into law practice with his father then america entered the world war within a week willkie enlisted in the army he spent 22 months in service 11 of w which were in france before he sailed on january 14 1918 he married his hoosier sweetheart miss edith wilk they have one son back in america in 1919 willkie resumed his law practice he moved to akron ohio and practiced there for nearly a decade his unusual legal talents gained steady recognition in 1929 he became legal adviser of the commonwealth southern utility company and by 1933 its president Will kies debates with government spokesmen established him as an articulate and able spokesman for business he began to be in demand as a speaker some of his intimates in began to say be might be presidential timber several newspaper columnists took up the idea than then a few weeks ago a small gro group u p in in new york began sending out literature about him ile he received thousands of requests to speak willkie clubs sprang up from coast to coa coast st the boom caught on physically willkie is impressive he is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs over pounds lie he is a friendly man who has the ability to make people in all stations of life like him blue eyed with dark hair he has a commanding presence he likes a fight when a prin prince cje is involved but this does not mean he is pugnacious some of those who know him compare him to the late will rogers who never met a man he uke like and he has the quality of making the people like him regardless of what station in life they 0 occupy |