Show small town boy makes good tells story of Will kies life lif 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 I 1941 he will be in the white house that is the saga of wendell L Will willkie kle his feat of sweeping into the philadelphia convention without withof t political sponsors and taking the prize away from seasoned political rivals is unprecedented who is this roan man Will willkie kle 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 try his wings on a new flight in the 48 years of his life willkie has had a wide training in the american 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 colorado 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 ran willkie Will kle a lawyer his paternal grandfather was an emigrant from prussia who spelled his name willcie he come came to america to escape the op oppression ot of the ho wendells mother like his father was a lawyer both parents believed in education tor 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 finished high school and was 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 wilume had tough sledding his parents were never able to give him much financial backing and there were times when he had to leave college and work elsewhere back again in college willkie was able to attend long enough to get his degree college days over lie he returned to elwood and entered into law practice with his father then america entered the world war within a week Will willkie kle enlisted in the army he spent 22 months in service 11 of 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 2919 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 be became be ame legal adviser of the commonwealth southern utility company end and by 1933 its president preside nL Will kles debates with government spokesmen established him as an articulate and able spokesman for business he began to be in demand as a speaker some ot of his intimates began to say he might be presidential timber several newspaper columnists lookup took up the idea then a few weeks ago a small group in new york began sending out literature about him he received thousands of requests to speak eme clubs spra sprang n g up from coast to coast the boom caughron caught caugh ton on physically willkie Is impressive he is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs over pounds he Is a friendly man who has the ability to make pe people 0 ale in all stations ot of life like hin him BI blue ue eyed with dark hair he has A co commanding mm anding presence he likes a fight when a principle is involved but this does not mean he be is pugna clous cious some of those who know him compare him to the late will rogers who never met a man he like and he has the quality of making the people like him regardless of what station in life they oc cupy |