The Coolidge examiner., 1931-02-20
The BOyhOod .
OF Famous 3,
Americans f;,yse,,,a f;y;
Walter G. Teagle

making their plans as to what they
would do in the world that seemed
! so far removed from the campus on
the hills overlooking the little up
state city of Ithaca. Walter c.
Teagle was included in the group
that was about to go out into the
'cold, cold world" to follow the
words of a popular undergraduate
| song.
He received word that his pro-
fessOr of chemistry would like to
talk to him. Young Teagle had
specialized in chemistry during his
college course. He was what his
fellow students called a shark in
the subject. Naturally he was a
prime favorite with the head of the
department
| He answered the summons prompt
ly. The professor urged him to
return to Cornell the following year
| to work for Ph. d. degree. The
educator offered him an instructor
ship in chemistry and held out high
hopes that his prize pupil would
eventually be promoted to a full
professorship.
The salary of an instructor of
chemistry was 5000 a year. Young
Teagle was highly gratified at the
offer. He saw his way clear to
work and study under the most
| pleasant conditions. A useful, if
not a highly lucrative, career
stretched before him.
The young man wrote home to
his father, a leader in the oil in
1ustry in Cleveland, telling him the
good news. The letter indicated
that he would like to return to Cor
nell and to make teaching his life
work perhaps. His father, in re-
ply, ordered him to report at home
as soon as possible, making no com
ment on the offer of a career that
was evidently rather pleasing to
his son.
The elder Teagle didn't mince
words as to his opinion of the prop
osition when his boy arrived home.
He pointed out that he had been
allowing Walter $1,000 a year while
he was getting his education at
Cornell. He added that he didn't
feel inclined to make up the differ
ence between that amount and the
5000 of an instructors pay.
Moreover, the father couldn't see
any real promising future ahead
for his son in a teaching career.
Furthermore he needed the boy in
his oil business. So the young
| %n nj
of Overalls and stand ready to use
them as his working clothes until
he knew the oil business at the
bottom.
Walter Teagle was born in Cleve-
land in 1878. and knew a thing or
two about oil even before he went
to Cornell. AS youngster he
spent much time around his fathers
refinery. He had served an appren-
ticeship. from time to time, az fir
ing stills and unloading coal, for
he was a powerfully built and
| strong lad.
He wasted no time in college as
Is shown by the fact that he COM
pleted a four-year course in three
and stood high in his classes. He
wrote the thesis for his degree on
the subject of oil. That was a
natural enough topic for him to
select. considering the business his
father was in, and that his ma
ternal grandfather, Morris B.
Clark, was a partner of the senior
John d. Rockefeller In the grain
business and was later interested
with him in oil ventures.
The first job at which his father
put the recent college graduate was
at firing a still. The pay was 10
cents an hour The young man
earned every penny of it by the
sweat Of his brow. Weighing over
200 pounds and standing 6 feet 3
inches. he could hold his own with
any man on the shift. He didn't
remain a laborer long. He knew
too much about the industry to
waste much time in such job.
He inherited his liking for the
business from his father. His
progress was rapid as soon as his
parent convinced him that the in
dustry offered him much more than
teaching career. But the days as
a laborer must have been trying,
for all that, to the young man who
had been a leader in the student
life at Cornell with no hard work
to do beyond studying his books
and working on his experiments.
Fortunately, he had the physique
to stand up under his gruelling
task.
He realized, once he went to
work, that there was more to get
ting oil than merely putting down
a well. He knew that it took wide
knowledge to determine on likely
location for finding the crude prod
uct, that refining and transporta-
tion were problems requiring much
study and wide experience.
He made up his mind to know
the industry from the bottom up.
His fathers concern merged with
the Republic company shortly after
the young man entered the busi-
ness. He was made a travelling
auditor. While on this job he
reached a country station and
found the agent gone. He hitched
up the horses and made the deliv-
cries until a new representative ar
rived.
After three years with the Re
public he became a Standard Oil
man. He marketed the company's
products abroad and was so sue
cessful that he was promoted to