The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-03-26
WORLDS GREATEST
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words l know he will call me to
task for them.
Facts are facts, however, as
his lifelong devotion to truth has
proven, no matter whether you
are in the Southernmost city of
the USA, Elmer Davis favorite
OF all cities, or whether you are
IN the great news capital, Wash
ington, or in New York, San
Francisco, the voice. of Elmer
Davis has become synonymous
with complete authority in ma
tlonal and international news.
The man who headed up the
job of channeling all news dur
ing World War II, Director of
the Office of War Information,
began as working newspaper
man on The New York Times,
back in 1914.
Ten years later his first trip
to Key West, conceded with his
decision TO leave The Times and
try full time fiction writing,
which he had taken up originally
to pay for an over priced suburb
an house.
The Davis infatuation with
Key West began as many such
feelings do, by accident. He came
down to Key West only TO take
the ferry to Havana whence he
intended to go.
Key West smote him in the
heart, however. Davis said:
Why should we go to Ha-
vana. when here is Key West?"
Again in 1926 came the writer,
to look into the Island City as
a place to work. But it was in
1928 that Davis came down to
finish a novel. He checked in at
his favorite Casa Marina and
dug in on his work.
His best friend fellow
Rhodes scholar Paul Kieffer,
lawyer and chairman of the
Board of Franklin and Marshall
College, Pa. was expected on the
Havana special due in at 3 am.
on that morning of 1928.
1T was dull grey morning
unlike Key West" said Davis as
we sat yesterday in the bright
March sunshine in the Casa Ma
rina patio. Il was in the midst
of a chapter and wanted to finish
it. When l greeted him l told
him so. He said fine, he would
take nap until | could join
him and show him my favorite
town"
At noon when Davis came up
for air from his writing labors,
he met Kieffer in the lobby,
feeling slightly guilty that he
had left his friend all alone in
the strange town.
Kieffer, far from looking Woe
begone, walked UP to Davis
greeting him with Grover
Whalen Make yourself at home,
Elmer" air. He told his supposed
host:
SWELL Elmer, I've just had
champagne cocktails at the Flor
ence Club, and two other private.
clubs. Better get move on, we
have a date for the cockfight at
f." and he consulted his mental
date book for the list of invita-
tons he had already received.
Kieffer was in. From that time
on Davis and Kieffer have tried.
not to miss a vacation at the
Casa Marina each year. Though
the war and the world have
kept them away some years,
Davis is now on his 14th winter
visit to the Island City.
Davis original infatuation
with Key West became grounded
in the more stable elements of
to the city.
He has shared its gloom along |
with its sunshine.
In 1884 Davis saw the people |
ne loved in the town he loved,
stopped with depression, thin
with hunger, walk to the county |
to get their relief /
checks. He suffered with them.
In 1885, the greatest year in |
Davis memory of Key West, he
saw those same people pick
themselves up under the dynam-
&c leadership of julius Stone.
FERA administrator, clean up
Lb1 80 ILL. HnankH- un1