Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-10-21
TYPEWRITER MADE
infant PRODIGY
Babe Played With Machine; Boy
Of 10 Ready for College.
SURPRISE FOR HIS PARENTS

OUtt tttOI VII bttO uttIutO
Young WllImoore Kendall, Jr., Son OF
q Blind Pastor Of Mangum, Okla,
Learned the Alphabet at Two, BE.
gan Going TO School at Four, and
Plans to Enter Northwestern Uni
versity This Fali-He ls Fond Of
Reading, But Takes Keen Delight In
All open-Alr Sports.
Eleven years ago Mrs. Willmoore
Kendall gave her two-year-old son
typewriter to play with while she read
from textbooks to her blind husband,
student In Northwestern university.
The boy discarded his other toys and
sat by the hour picking ut the keys
with his chubby fingers.
Today, ut the age of thirteen, Will
moore Kendall, Jr., now living In Man.
gum. Okla, is preparing to enter col
lego. His mother declares the early
experience with his fathers type
writer gave him his start in acquiring
his education, start that swept him
into school at the age of four. after
he had read such books as The Little
Lame Prince" and Little Lord Faunt-
leroy" He graduated in June from
the Mangum high school. His IA
Their is pastor of the First Methodist
church The boy intends TO enter
l,kas.s V..NVN
rules of the university can be sus-
pended to admit him. Otherwise, he
will matriculate in some other instl-
tuition.
No Design in Result.
Regarding the boys early training
his mother said:
at was u matter Of necessity, sup
pose, which made US, without design,
place him In II position TO get flying
start on his education. When Will
moore was In his second year his ia
Their was studying in Northwestern
university. Since Mr.. Kendall was
totally blind, l did all his reading for
him, and Willmoore often disturbed
us by crying. It occurred to us to
give him his fathers typewriter.
"Pecking away at the keys Of the
machine, Willmoore gradually learned
the entire alphabet, and, almost be-
fore we knew Il, he was putting let
tiers together into words and Joining
words into sentences. am sure
there was never any consciousness of
tlresome mental effort in his early
training. II was all matter of play
for the boy. and It kept him so amused
that his father and were left free
to 60 on with our reading, stopping
only at first to tell him new letter,
and. later, the spelling OF words
The boys entry into the public
school ut the age of four came as
result of chance call of the city
school superintendent ut Hartshorne.
Okla, where Rev. Mr.. Kendall was
stationed The lad was reading aloud
from Hawthorne's "Tanglewood Tales"
when the teacher entered the room.
The visitor was attracted by his rapid
and expressive pronunciation.
"What grade will you be in this
yearT he asked the child.
Mrs. Kendall explained that her son
was but four years old and had not
entered school. Upon the insistence
of the superintendent the boy started
his school work the following fall
Is Athletic Youngster.
Willmoore has not sacrificed his
physical welfare for his studies. Five
feet three inches tall he weighs 10
pounds, and takes keen delight In all
the open-air sports enjoyed by boy
of thirteen. He Is an expert swim
mer. and INDUCES regularly In box
Ing, baseball and other athletic sports.
He is member OF the local boy
scout troop Last summer, while en-
camped with the troop in the noun
tains near Mangum, he rescued a boy
of twelve who had been seized with
cramps while swimming.
He Is still fond OF reading. Dickens,
Scott and Stevenson, being among
his favorite authors. He also reads
much current literature and history.
Science and mathematics he finds ex-
tremely difficult. He Is enthusiastic
about music. and although he has
never had regular instruction. plays
the flute well. being member OF his
fathers church orchestra.
He admits he is too light TO try for
tho freshman football team when he
enters college. but declares he will
go in for debating" He was a
member OF the Mangum high school
debating team. always assuming the
task of rebuttal over the older mem.