The New York herald., 1922-08-06
TYPEWRITER MAKES
INFANT INTO PRODIGY
Given Machine as Toy When
He Was 2, He's Ready for
College at 13.
INTENT TO STOP CRYING
Mother Had No Idea Plaything
Would Bring Such Surpris-
ing Result.

MANGuM, Okla. Aug. CAssociated
4 Press) Eleven years ago Mrs. Will
moore Kendall gave her two-year-old
son typewriter TO play with while she
read from textbooks TO her blind hus-
band. student In Northwestern Uni
versity. The boy discarded his other
toys and sat by the hour picking at the
keys with mis- chubby fingers.
To-day. at the age Of 15. Willmoore
Kendall. Jr.. is preparing TO enter col
lege. His mother declares the early ex-
perience with his fathers typewriter
gave him his start In acquiring his edu
cation, a start that swept him into
school at the age Of 4. after he had read
such books as THE Little Lame Prince"
and Little Lord Fauntleroy." He grad
uated In June from the Mangum high
school His father Is pastor of the First
Methodist Church. The boy intends to
enter Northwestern as freshman If the
rules of the university can be suspended
to admit him. Otherwise. he will ma
triculate in some other institution.
No Design In Result.
Regarding the boys early training,
his mother said
1T was a matter of necessity, sup
pose which made us. without design,
place him in a position to get a flying
start on his education. When Willmoore
vas in his second year his father was
studying In Northwestern University.
Since Mr.. Kendall was totally blind
II. ~ y 1. - r. 4. -. Nr-tr
moore often disturbed us by crying. 1t
occurred to us to give him his fathers
typewriter.
''Pecking away at the keys of the ma
chine, Willmoore gradually learned the
entire alphabet. and. almost before we
knew il. he was putting letters together
into words and joining words into SEN
tences. am sure there was never any
consciousness of tiresome mental effort
In his early training. 1t was all mat
ter of play for the boy. and IL kept him
so amused that his father and were
left free to go on with our reading.
stopping only at first TO tell him a new
letter. and, later, the spelling of words"
The boys entry into the public schools
at the age of 4 came as result OF
chance call of the city school superin-
tendent at Hartshorne. Okla. where the
Rev. Mr.. Kendall was stationed The
lad was reading aloud from ,Haw-
thornes "Tanglewood Tales" when the
teacher entered the room The visitor
was attracted by his rapid and express
sive pronunciation.
Is Athletic YounRs.er.
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 en-.
tered school. Upon the insistence OF the
superintendent the boy started his school
work the following fall.
Willmoore has not sacrificed his physi-
cal welfare for his studies Five feet
three inches tall, he weighs 110 pounds
and takes keen delight in all the open
air sports enjoyed by a boy Of 13 He is
an expert swimmer. and INDUCES regu.
larly in boxing, baseball and other sth.
letc sports.
lie is member of the local Boy Scout
troop. Last summer. while encampeo
with the troop in the mountains neai
ftre, he rescued a boy of 12 who had
peen seized with cramps while swim.
ming.
lie is still fond of reading. Dickens
Scott and Stevenson being among hi.
faNorite authors. lie also reads mucl
current literature and history. Scienc,
and mathematics he finds extremely diff
fcult. He Is enthusiastic about music
and although he has never had regular
instruction. plays the flute well. being /
member OF his fathers church orchestra
lie admits he is too light. TO try 70,
the freshman football team when he en-
ters college. but declares he will go II
Tor debating lie was a member of tn,
Mangum High School debating team al
ways assuming the task OF rebuttal owe
the older members of the team.