New Britain herald., 1922-08-11
TYPEWRITER AIDED
 YOUTHFUL PRODIGY
Boy, IS, About to Enter College Had Unusual Early Training


 Associated PresD. years age Mrs. Wtllmoore Kendall gave her two year old son typewriter to play with while she read from text books to her blind husband, Q student in the Northwestern university, Evanston Ill. The boy discarded his other toys and sat by the hour picking at the keys with his chubby fingers
 Today, at the age Of IS, Willmoore Kendall. Jr.. is preparing to enter col 'lcse. His mother declares the early experience with his fathers typewrit- CT 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 Lame Prince" and Little Lord Faunt- leroy"
 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 university can be suspend cd to admit him. Otherwise. he will matriculate with some other institu. ton. ..s Regarding the boys early training, Mrs. Kendall said:
 Tt was a matter of necessity, l suppose, which made us without de- sign place him in a position to ac- quire an early knowledge of letters. When Willmoore was in his second year, his father was studying in Northwestern university. Since Mir. Kendall was entirely blind. I did all his reading for him and Willmoore often disturbed us by crying to be him his fathers typewriter.
 'Pecking away at the keys of the machine. Willmoore gradually learned the entire alphabet and almost before we knew it, he was putting letters to- gether into words and joining words into sentences. I am sure there was never any consciousness of tiresome mental effort in his early training. It was all a matter of play for the boy and 1t kept him so amused that his father and I were left free to go on with our reading. stopping only at first to tell him a new letter and later the spelling Ol WOIus. 4 Willmoore's entry into the public schools at the age of four came as a result of a chance call of the city school superintendent at Hartshorne, Okla, where the Rev. Mir. 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 pronuncia- Non.
 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 insistance 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 11o pounds, and takes keen delight in all the open air sports enjoyed by boy of 13 He is an expert swimmer, and indulges- regularly in boxing baseball and other athletic competi- ton.
 A~oy l Scout troop and is greatly interested , In all activities of the local troop. Last < summer. while encamped with the e troop in the mountains near here he z rescued q boy of 12 who had been seized with cramps while swimming.
 Young Kendall 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 6 hnds extremely difficult. He is en- + thusiastic about music. and although f he has never had regular instruction. plays the flute we'll taking part in r his fathers church orchestra each e Sunday
 Willmoore admits that he is roo = fight to try for the freshman foot ,all team when he enters college, but ieclares he will ''go in for debating" .Ie was a membe- Of the Mangum High school chatting team, always as ,uming the task of rebuttal over the older members of the team