The Penn's Grove record., 1917-10-12

800 viz RtAOSD NiS1C Ii III
Young Mems Christian Association
than the places which have Y. M. G..
AS. There is no doubt that the
United States are well taken care of.
Each large city has from two to seven
Small towns and industrial centres
have them and railroad companies
maintain them.
They are for men, colored men and
foreigners. Each military camp has
n with the best secretaries obtain
able in charge.
Canada, England and Egypt are
supplied. Recently twenty-five secre-
taries left to take up work in Russia.
Francis B. Sayre, son-in-law to Presi-
dent Woodrow Wilson, is now at the
head Of twenty-five. secretaries in
France.
The latest and very important call
has come from Italy for Y. M. C. A.
work, both at port of entries and
among the Italian soldiers. 1t did not
take long for the War Work Council
of the International Committee to find
a suitable leader for the Italian expe-
dition. r. Dodge LaGuardia, who has
been secretary of the Foreign Branch
at Carney Point, N. j., dupont Pow
der Works for nearly year. was
chosen. He cheerfuIly and heartily
accepted the call to the land of his
father. A history of his career will
: show why he was chosen.
He was born at Fort Tully, South
Dakota, Jun 4th, 1887, while his
father vas band master of the 18th u.
S. Infantry. His father was a native
of Italy but a citizen of the United
States long before his birth.
Richard DOdpa la Guardia woo
named after Richard Dodge, who was
colonel of the 18th Infantry at that
time. At the age Of five years he was
taken to Prescott, Arizona and start
ed school at six. He lived in the SOL
diers barracks at Whipple and walked
four miles to school at Prescott and
four miles back. At the time of the
Spanlsh-American war the family
moved to st. Louis, Mo. After one
year there his father was pensioned
and the family left for Italy. He con-
tlnucd his studies there and was grad
uated from the Imperial Royal Ma
tional Academy at Triesti, which is in
Austria Hungary, inhabited by Ital-
ians and has been captured by the
Italian army.
He later entered the U. S. Consul
service at Budapest, Hungary. After
a year there he accepted a position as
interpreter on the ships of the Cunard
line, as his native language was Eng
lish, educated in Italian in a Hungar-
ian country. After making sixty-one
trips across the Mediterraen Sea and
Atlantic Ocean he was made inter-
prefer and clerk by the Society for
Prevention of Cruelty to Children in
New York. After nearly a year he
went back to the ship for two more
trips.
Then he happened to get into the
International Young Mems Christian
Association office in New York and
was let loose among the immigrants
on Ellis Island. He organized Y. M.
G, A. work there for a year, then was
sent to Fiume, Hungary, to open Y.
NJ. c. A. work there and in Trieste.
Later he was one Of the first Y. M. c..
A. secretaries to start the work
among the Storage passengers on the
immigrant ships. Next he went to
assist at the Italian Branch in Har-
Harlem, New York City.
Soon he was sent to assist with the
great immigrant problem in Chicago,
Ill. After three years service he be-
came community secretary at West
Pullman. His ability became widely
known and he "a promoted to be the
general secretary at Mahwah, Bergen
County, N. j.. Next he came to Car
ney Point, two miles from Penns
Grove, N. j., and opposite Whining
ton, Del, where his work among the
many foreigners employed at du
Points smokless powder works has
been great, and where he has been for
nearly a year.
T He has in him not only the blood
and relationship of several national
tiles, but the babel of nearly a dozen
languages and dialects. But not only
that, but also he has the jovial, whole
soul deposition to make friends and to
weld men together with the God
spirit. His departure from Carney
Point is regretted, not only by those
2Ska~N h1Ll