The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1939-05-16
BIG SHOT OF
FAIR IN n. Y.
WHALEN
He Conceived Idea, Gram
med it Through, As
sumes Responsibility
By GEORGE TUCKER

! NEW YORK, May 16.-Now tina
his dream of a New York World:
fair has materialized, one wonders
what multiple impressions Grove
through Grover A. Whalen's minc
as he sits in his luxurious offices ir
the shadow of the Trylon and Per-
isphere on what used to be known
as Flushing Meadows.
Whalen used to be Commissioner
of Police in New York, and he han
died MIRA for New York. He was a
business man associated with a
great department store, and later
with a great distilling house. He
dreamed up the fair and ham
mered home his ideas to bankers
and industrialists until finally they
acquiesced and he had his way.
And yet, for all this, it is ironi-
cally true that Grover Whalen
everywhere is referred to as the
man with the mustache, the bou-
tonniere, and the sharply creased
trousers.
Whalen hasn't been treated very
gently by his critics. He has been
given what, in Broadway parlance,
is known as a bad press" and it
bewilders him. He is frequently re-
ferred to as a dandy with gar
denia in his lapel, when as a mat
ter of fact he never wore a gar
denia in his life. Cornflowers and
carnations. certainly-but there is
a vast difference between carna-
tions and gardenias.
They say now that Mr.. Whalen's
salary is about 100000 a year. He
is worth every cent of this. He it
was who crammed this fair down
the city's throat despite wholesale
opposition an opposition, Incl
dentally, which now is cheering
and rubbing its hands at the pros
pect of a billion dollar take which
the fair seems certain to insure.
All this will drop into the laps of
the railroads, the hotels, the res
taurants, and the merchants.
During the first year of the fair
preparations Mr.. Whalen's services
were gratis, or practically SO, for
he came on a loan" from his dis
tilling house on dollar year con-
tract. Now he has fleet limousines
at his call, luxuriously appointed
suites here and there about the
fair grounds and the city, and a
yacht upon which important visi-
tors are entertained.
There are those who criticize
Whalen because he seeks to take
credit for everything concerned with
the fair. The truth of the matter
is that he personally drew Ford,
Chrysler, and General Motors into
line he personally is responsible for
so European nations laying 100000
900 on the line; he hires and fires,
makes the decisions, signs the con-
tracts. If the fair is dud his
shoulders must take the conse-
quences. Under these circumstances
he would be less than bright if he
didn't insist on the credit.
-
1t is no longer doubted by even
his severest critics that he is one
of the most expert organizers in
the nation. He is full-fledged, big
time executive with skill and mag
ination and the ability to set his
ideas into motion. Seemingly he is
tireless; his working days run from,
Is to Is hours He seldom sleeps
more than five hours a night
spends his free moments in the
saddle or in gymnasiums. He does
not smoke. He touches alcoholics
infrequently..
Like Al Smith, Whalen is an east
side boy and a Democrat. He is
SO. He has enough medals awarded
by the city and foreign powers. t.
completely cover his chest, If hi
chose to wear them, which he never
does. Right now all he Graves il
to see the turnstiles click. If the,
click fast enough, he is going t
be one happy hombre.
| ADMv AhNElIuEDT