The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-16

secret weapons that is going to help win the war-the Bosing B-29 Sup erfortress bomber. It is no secret in Wichita, for the whole city and countryside TOT miles around glow with a fierce midwestern year round pride, hotter than the August sun on the praries, radiating the glory of this thing that has been planted and has grown right out of ground that for generations has grown Kansas wheat.
 Just after the last world war a slim young automobile salesman, an eX-lieutenant out of Wichita high school and West Point, set out to interest some of the leaders of his home town in backing an airplane factory. He thought that some day 1t might get to employ as many as 250 people and would be big thing in the community.
 THEY GOT THEMSELVES
 AN AIRFIELD
 The first thing they would need was an airfield. So the leading citi- zens, spurred on by Marcellus M. Murdock, publisher of the Wichita Eagle, gave their notes and took an option on a quarter section of land just outside of town. Tn big-heart- ed gesture, they offered the land tc the city-if the city would take over their notes. But the city turned them down cold because far-sight- ed city official saw their land wouldn't be big enough. The leading citizens went back and optioned a square mile.
 The beginning of World War II found the ex-lieutenant, eX-auto salesman, whose name was J. E. Schaefer, running a little airplane plant and right up to his ears in a government contract to build all of 30 planes, and employing not 250 men, but 300.
 And then one day three years ago, Earl Schaefer-now fatter. with less hair, wearing glasses, but vice pres ident and manager of the Wichita division of the Boeing company for all that-received word that the government was to spend $l00,000. = 900 in manufacture of a new bomber that would fly farther, faster, high CT and would carry more bombs than any plane ever made before. It had been designed and engineered at Seattle, but Wichita, along with Seattle, Omaha, Atlanta, Cleveland, Akron and Chicago. was to play a big part in its production.
 THE QUALITY WERE
 WITHOUT HELP"
 Wichita had no facilities for any such task. but it was ready to do the job in two short years, though eight years had been needed to build the first Flying Fortress. Wichita re- cruited engineers from all over the Mississippi valley. Labor-not skill ed, but able to learn-came from ! the Wichita high school and the Kansas farm lands. Wichita doubl- ed in size. A new suburb, Plainview, grew up from nowhere to become seventh city of Kansas.
 Ex-Gov. Henry J. Allen, grown soft by easy living in Wichita, found that his cook. then his inside man then his gardener, Clyde-who had been with him for 9 years-desert- ed him for Boeing at 55 cents an hour up. Leading citizens were wip- ing their own dishes.
 This is how the war at home is being won by towns like Wichita all over the land. What happens next in the Wichitas will be the story of how the peace is won or lost.
 Any community, any people that can build a super -airplane from nothing, as Wichita has done, won't lose a peace. And there will be post war opportunities for other Earl Schaefers and other Marcellus Mur- docks who are wide-awake enough to see them and take them.