The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-15

ton of the highest possible kind in
the shortest time. Most of them were
working their way through the nsti-
tuition and all were intensely in ear
nest.
OF course, ]. F. Deems had to work
his way through school. After that
first school, there came much later
a college of mechanical engineering,
and between were night schools and
that different kind OF school in which
he learned enough law to be admitted
to the bar while studying at nome
with his wife.
After the normal school study, he
taught school in Fayette county
Pennsylvania, two terms. Then ne
quit being a pedagogue
st loved the work, but there dluh
seem to be room enough for expah-
sion, nor enough chance for construc-
tive effort" he says.
,HE ALWAYS
LIKED WORK
In those twenty words seem 10 oe
an epitome of ]. F. Deems.
/ He always liked work; expansion
lof mind and growth were as bread
and meat 10 him; his energy must
he applied to construction, to Dulld'
ing up things. He is exactly that
way today. In mental breadth OF
view and genuine culture OF mind ne
today ranks high among successful
American men.
He was young then, and TO-DAY no
body places a higher estimate on the
constructive education or more mod
ern times than he does. The out
come proves that Within thirty
wears. he was to be selected TO oc'
cupy one of the largest jobs on me,
chanical work in American railroad
history, after being general manager
of one of the greatest and iarges'
Locomotive works in the world. Win
such an objective for his ambition
he could not find its equivalent ID
pedagogy and school teaching. 10
day he is trustee of Grfnnen COZ
lege. selected for that position on
account of his executive ability ano
his true ideas of modern education
THE MAN OF
Iron AND STEEL
big machine shop is the material
embodiment of constructive energy
So Young Deems became an appren
tice in a big machine shop. 1t was
mart of the large locomotive works
at Connensville, Pennsylvania he
was eighteen years old. He wenl
there to learn the trade Of machinlst
and from the first day he learned II
well. All he says about 1t Is:
81 loved the work immensely
He had found himself. His special
low and ability in work lay in dong
dfficult things well, sometimes small
things, sometimes large ones-Wha
in these later times of definite yocao
ulary is called executive work
The foundation OF his lie worn
was laid there in the Conneilsylle
shops, and there he showed the Same
characteristics which, multiplied
many times, remained in his person
atty until he achieved record d
an executive in very large afalrs tha'
is equalled by few In America.
The whole life Of ]. F. Deems
shows that he has always precisely
determined what is right and proper
and then has done it regardless OF
surrounding temporary influences
whatever the latter may be.
The Young man still craved breadth
of view, and so he transferred to the
great tube works at Mckeesport
Then the Baltimore and Ohio ran
road employed him at Newark, ONO
to work as a n1achinist.
, It was at Newark that he studlec
law and was admitted to the bar
after he married Miss Anna Daltor
and founded home OF his own II
which he liked to stay at nights. His
wife today has in her personality
combination Of real dignity, exquisite
; tact and genuine, heartfelt cordially
that fits her to sit at the head o.
the table at public dinners and makes
her as popular as her husband among
his men and the neighbors aroune
their home. :.
Deems was twenty-eight years olt
when he went to Beardstown, I'LL
nois. as a machinist for the Chicago
Burlington and Quincy railroad WIZ
which road he harvested the invest
ment in hard work, hard study ant
, high ambition ne had made in penn
syivania and Ohio. Starting from IN
bottom, successive promotions raiset
him to be master mechanic at W
: tumwa and brought him to loW'
: thirty years ago. Later ne wa
! transferred to the big shops at Yves
Burlington. Then he was maze sup