The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-08-18
Observations
New Manager Of
OPA Not Afraid
of Tough Tasks
BY Charles 8 Stewart


the efficiency OF the United states
Coast Guard
The Coast Guard bore the t,dinss
that he had been named to Wash
ington's jinXed Job.
The 42-yesr-old Manhattan adyeu
Using executive was yacaliou.ng un
the Massachusetts coast in a oha.t-
cred sailboat when OPA Chief PREM
tiss NJ Brown appointed him as
general manager' OF The embau1-
ed price and rationins agency 70
took the Coast Guard some time 10
locate him.
Wealthy Yaleman Bow ,es showed
no hesitancy in getting to Wash
ington. Disregardng the advice
OF all my friends and advisers he
rushed in where the angels fear TO
tread with never a thought OF the
fate OF Two former OPA business
manaRerS-e X-AdminiStIator Leon
Henderson and eX-Depuly Lou
MsXon.
Taking confident grip on his
new job Bowles predicted.
We should make real progress
in the next six weeks"
Later. at STAFF meeting designed
10 pep up the sagging morale Of
OPA employees. the new general
manager assured the workers thai
they were not going 10 lose their
jobs. counseled them to keep their
'chins up, and gave himself an
other three weeks to show results
Oct. /.
gPA Chief Brown showed his
good faith by virtually turning over
the keys TO the agency to Bowles
Regional OPA administrators and
the heads OF the price, rationlng.
rent. legal, professional services.
information and administrative
management were made directly
responsible 10 BOWles
In addition, the new general
manager was given possibility
for recognizing the agency as he
sees IT. Bowles fred only a hand.
ful OF professors however. as
result OF the congressional mandate
that top OPA price executives must
have business experience.
He will operate on the theory
no one group has a monopoly on
ability
The world in general has been
a bit TOO hard on the professors
he said. Every big business has
its economists
The fact thabhe is starting from
behind the eight BALI when OPA
fortunes are al low ebb and the
administrations entire anti-infla
tion program Is under IRE doesn't
scare him. Bowies. together with
William Benton, borrowed money
in 1929-at the outset OF the de
pression-to form the now potent
New York advertising agency OF
Benton and Bowles He said the
company started on "a shoestring
With industry a. that time seek
ing new ways to pull out OF the eco
nomic mire which gripped the
country, Bowles constantly studied
new methods OF merchandising and
marketing and his efforts paid OF
Born in the depression. the Arm
prospered and became one OF the
nations largest agencies.
The story is told that Bowles set
out 10 make a million dollars be-
fore he was 3d. although he denies
it
Neither Bill Benton nor ever
saw that much money" he says.
Benton left the firm in the early
- ~
the University OF Chicago and
BoWlss resigned as chairman OF
the board last year
The Bowles home Ia located on
the Connecticut River near Long
Island Sound in ESSEX He moved
there in 1898 so his children could
get a small town education The
family has "a COW. q couple OF
pigs and a couple OF hundred chick
ems" on the few acres surrounding
the house. raising enough 10 pro-
vide them with about three fourthS
Of their food
Bowles hobby Is sailing In fact,
he has made sailors out OF his en-
tire fsmily-Mrs Bowles and Ave
children, ranging from four 10 Is
years old Before Pearl HarbOf.
Bowles owned a 65-foot schooner in
which he used 10 take long cruises
and entered number OF the
Bermuda to New London sailing
races. although he never finished
in the money
There will be more about OPA's
remarkable Mr.. Bowles in the next
issue.