The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-10-08
AOll, 81 TIIR MAN N Tr TowER
Good Evening.

Jolt to Ego Peripatetic feet and gregarious
nature and love Of adventure have ganged up many
time on man to carry him to strange chimes and into
all kinds of situations And it has been with But
little knew that day early last July when boarded
graph Editor of the Democrat, and an occasional con-
tributor to the Tall Tower column that was going 70
find in this Naugatuck Valley Connecticut city, some
thing which had never found anywhere else kefore
That something was not just the Democrat edi-
toria room, and its composing ROOM and q swell gang
like Sports Editor John Cuney, and Jim Moore, and
George Dillon, and Fred Carey, and joey Evans and
RiEer and . but there isn't room to name them all.
Nor was the fun have in getting out the first page
of the paper Nor yet it an evening in the bOsSs
house and in Dr. Francis Barnes house, and in the
house of Lynch where talked of Ireland and
old Waterbury. Though all that was no mean dlscov-
cry. There few cities or towns anywhere in the
world so open-hearted and gracOusly inclined as
Waterbury, Conn. And the truly incest part OF 1t All
is it isn't a mask a venal thing.
was writer - once, with stuff in Harper's Maya
zine and Golfers Weekly and the Satevepost and in
score of lesser publications. And then suddenly wasn't
writer any more had carried the old bucket once too
often to the we'll So moved into fields where as
always the grass looked greene and whether did right
wrong is for some one bigger than to Judge len
wears ago in my travels around this country visited
Waterbury. I met and talked with Neil Maloney lie
and the Democrat and Waterbury somehow stuck IN my
crop of pleasant memories where many another memory
has died When the chance came to me to join the
Democrat staff ignored the familiar warning didn't
walk. I jumped!
1t is fun being Telegraph Editor of the Democrat
with the authority to pass the works OF my PETERS
hSrb lbs nun arad It graVey George
Dillon most of the stuff that appears under
the Tall Tower head. It was he, for instance, who
recently wrote that erudte encyclopedia piece about
Glenn L. Martin, and it is he who is the author OF all
those epgrams and the items about the middle
and the boys who go overseas and who come back on
vacations, and who get honorary discharges and all
those newsy bits.
Lord knows a man should have been happy in my
Shoes But perverSey wasn't For the older get ana
the more do the more want to be doing So time, IN
time began ito hang nea p es va might be
seen. Then appeared an ad in the Democrat Advertis
ing Dept please note about men being needed Tor part
time work in plants and factories and Off rooped
to the U. S. Employment Office to talk to darkeyed
Miss Eagan and soft-voiced Miss Lynch, and to swell
fellow named Jimmy DiRienzo, and between them all
presented myself to Charles Mccarthy of the personnel
department at the Waterbury Tool Works.
If myself had not interviewed scores of people
and written about them for newspapers in New York,
and national magazines if had not known the subtle
art Gr %O aTereG me- like an co
posing music on piano, striking note here and
there, and weaving them all into the whole for which
he was striving could help him very little, for how
could tell Of qualifications which possibly didn't
have for job of which knew nothing.
That was where the necromancy of Charles
Mccarthy came in. And that was when found that
something which I had not found elsewhere even
before. job that not white collar job For
Mccarthy said: I'VE you here" Just like
that he said it, smiling at my incredulOusness WeH
start you out as a learner Inspector"
There was some routine, of course but minimum
of routine And at last there the night was to
report for work.
1t was little Irish girl who started the wheels for me
that night gracious girl who halls like myself from
Dublin, Stasia McEvoy. And she passed me on to
friendly soul named Hnchffe who in turn brought me
to the building where was to start to work He intro
duced to Mr. Lynch, the foreman. Mr. Lynch looked
little panied, and guessed at the thoughts going
through his head: Another learner Lord send me
some time some who knows his job!"
But he kindly, too and assigned me to bench,
and then his assistant Miss Carlson, who gave me
welcoming nod and SMILE and began to teach me all
the ntrcaceS of caliperS and icrometerS and scales
which had difficulty not calling rulers. And by the
Lord Harry caught on, that now after few nights
it all isn't the great mystery it was And many,
many thanks order to all those I've named before
especially Miss Carlson, most patient of instructors
I left the plant that night and dropped into Mr.
MurphyS excellent bsro for few beers before going to
bed.
$50 you're doing work now" some said.
must have looked little startled hadn't thought
Of IL that way.