The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-08-23
In New York
BY LUCILLE MANNERS
Ssssisss issi, A

New York-TYo years ago I was stenographer working for an in. surance company in Newark, N. !.
 Today my work and my life are entirely different. My office instead of being in the prosaic surroundings of dictation pads and pencils Is a spotlighted stage in Radio City. My accompaniment instead of the click of typewriters and the ring Of telephones, is c 40-piece syrl- phonic orchestra. And the results of my work go to millions q hope) of listeners instead of to an over. worked businessman.
 When people learn that I was once e stenographer, they geneT- ally ask, How did you make the jump7"
 When hear that I want to laugh. Instead l always answer, If I weren't 0 Stenographer--if hadn't worked in an office and picked up the habits of and philos. ophy of an officer worker, I wouldn't be Q singer today"
 And If that doesn't make sense, let me explain.
 The first thing 6 business girl learns Is the value of time. She knows that If she comes in if. teen minutes late, if she takes ten minutes longer for lunch, her job is at stake. Busy executives have no time to listen to excuses. So the first rule every working girl learns iS: Budget your time. Make every minute count.
 Time for Everything
 That credo was the basis for my singing background. strange as 1t may seem. I hudgeted my eighteen waking hours 50 efficient ly that every second counted. AS soon as closed my typewriter Ut b:30. I dashed by ferry to New York to study singing. Evenings I sang in amateur shows. l even stretched my precious lunch hour SC that for- ty of those sixty minutes would Do devoted to singing on local radio station. It didn't pay much in dollars and cents, but 1t certainly did pay in valuable experience.
 The next thing a business girl learns is to start from the bottom. She knows that she doesn't step into the position of private secre- tary unless she has served her SD. prenticesnip as file clerk and gtenographer first. And that was what kept me going when learn. cd that my first radio job would be afternoon sustaining =. the humblest form of radio work.
 One day my teacher, Louis Dor- nay, called me for c iast-minute auditor at NEG. had been working medically at the office all day and my nerves were worn to c frazzle. My first temptation was to cry, T can't do 1t. I'm not in the mood" But when re. membered that If my boss were to ask me to stay and work over. time wouldn't dare refuse him on the ground that T wasn't in the mood" That sort of excuse sounds 50 silly to c business girl. So I clenched my hands, powd- cred my nose and told him I'd make 1t.
 It 50 happened that that was the beginning Of my new career. The addition took that day was successful and began to sing regularly on the NEG network.
 The Big Opportunity
 But my greatest test was yet to come. Jessica Dragonette was leaving the air for four weeks vacation and . substitute was be. ing hunted to fill her place in the meantime. I could hardly believe my ears when learned that was the girl selected to take her place. The night that walked out on the brilliantly lighted stage to take her place on the program l was as excited-weli as excited as any ordinary stencgrapher would feel in such gplendor. Was this really r-were these people actually applauding me were those flowers intended for me? And ct the end when the audi- ence gwarned around asking for my autograph my fingers tretli- pied 60 that I could hardly sign my name. one day I was jottiag down pothooks in c shorthand pad -the next, I was signing auto. graphs.
 Talk about Cinderelial
 But also suffered the same ietdowF that Cinderella did. My twelve o'clock cuMew rang Wten Miss Draeonette returned from hes vacation. Then I wAs Iiters ally transported to the sindsrs