The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-08-18
TYPEWRITER
AIDED YOUNG
PRODIGY OF IS
Youth of Tender Years Is
Preparing to Enter
College

>oAAStoS
MANGUM, Okla, Aug. 18-
Eleven years ago Mrs. Willmoore
Kendall gave her two-year-old
son a typewriter to play with
while she read from text books to
! her blind husband, a student in
the Northwestern University,
! Evanston, Ill. The boy discarded
his other toys and sat by the hour
picking at the keys with his club
by fingers.
Today, at the age of 10, Will
moopc Kendall, Jr., is preparing
to enter college. His mother de-
clares the early experience with
his fathers typewriter gave him
his start in acquiring his education
"a start that swept him into
school at the age of four after he
had read such books as The
Little Lanes Prince and Little
Lord Fauntleroy.' y
Willmoore graduated in June
from the Mangum high school.
His father is pastor of the First
Methodist church, of this city. The
boy intends to enter Northwestern
as a freshman if rule of the Uni
versity can be suspended to admit
him. Otherwise, he will matricu-
late with some other institution.
Regarding the boys early train
inc Mrs Kendall said
at was a matter of necessity, |
suppose, which made US without
design place him in a position to
acquire an early knowledge of let
tiers. When Willmore was in his
second year, his father was study
ing in Northwestern University.
Since Mr.. Kendall was entirely
blind, | did all his reading for
him, and Willmoore often disturb
ed US by crying to be amused. 1t
occurred to US to give Him his
typewriter.
"Pecking away at the keys of
the machine, Willmoore gradually
learned the entire alphabet and al
most before we knew it, he was
putting letters together into words
and Joining words into sentences.
am sure there was never any con-
sciousness Of tireSome mental eff
fort in his early training. 1t was
all a matter of play for the boy
and it kept him amused that his
father and | we're left free to go
on with our reading, stopping only
at first to tell him a new letter and
later the spelling of words"
Willmoore's entry into the pub
lie schools at the age of four
came as a result Of . chance call
of the city school superintendent
at Hartshorne, okla, where the
Rev. MIR. Kendall was was station
ID. The lad was reading aloud
from Hawthorne's "Tanglewood
Tales" when the teachers entered
the room. The visitor was attract
ed by his rapid and expressive
pronunciation.
"What grade will you be in this
year, he asked the child.
Mrs. Kendall explained that her
son was but four years old and
had not entered school. Upon the
insistancc of the superintendent
the boy started his school work
the following fall.
WillmoOre has not sacrificed
his physical welfare for his studies
Five feet, three inches tall, he
weighs 40 pounds, and takes keen
delight in all the open air sports
enjoyed by boy of Ii. He is an
expert swimmer, and INDUCES re-
gularly in boxing, baseball and
other athletic competition.
He il a member of the local boy
scout troop and is greatly inter
csted in all activities of tn local
troop. Last summer, while en-
camped with me troop in the
near here. he rescued 4
boy of ~ who had been seized
with cramps while swimming.
Young Kendall is still fond of
Dickens, Scott and Stew
enson being among his favorite au-
thors. He also reads much cur
rent literature and history. Sci
ence and mathematics he find ex-
tremcly difficult. He is enthusi-
astic about music, and although
he has never had regular instruc-
ton, plays the flute well taking
part in his fathers church orches-
ira each Sunday.
Willmoore admits that he is too
light to try for the freshman foot
ball team when he enters college,
but declares he will Ego in for de
batting. He was a member of the
Mangum high school debating
team. always assuming the task of
rebuttal over the older members
of the team.