Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-19

wider circulation than any trade
publication commands. With
suitable headlines, of course. She
writes:
He waS one of the Nation;
first nelUs analysts his broad
casts date back to 1925 and he
had. from the beginning, stead
tasty refused to dllo,D CONNER
cial sponsorship of his radio ap-
pearGnceS. Then. one day in
1887, his ttUice- daily newS
analyses iUere bought By the
Richmond Dairy Company !.
to my horror, 7 luaS assigned to
tDrite tie daify'S messages"
< X 4
Fortunately for Miss Williams,
the dairy gave her a free hand.
Undoubtedly. they (the COM
mercials) would have sold not
a gill of cream on anybody elSe's
show. but DR.. Freeman's listeners
were a special audience"
She then withdraws the "spe-
Icial audience" tag as an under
statement-that Dr.. Freeman
was the most widely heard Vir-
ginia commentator and people
hung on every one of his drawled
words. Southern doWagers ven-
tured out in the teeth of gales
umbrella LESS, because DR.. Free
man said he foresaw no rain,
and would go out in the MONDAY
sun fully accountered for a
bowling nor'wester, because the
Doctor sensed bad weather"
BrOadcasting life with DR.
Freeman must have had many
uneasy moments. He went on
the air at 800 am. At 1853,
he would saunter across the cat
walk that Joined the newspaper
building and the radio station.
his pace leisurely-and would
be inside the studio door just as
the announcer finished the last
syllable of the sentence, Nov,
here is DR.. Freeman"
Staring at the perforated
studio iCaH. Without benefit OF
script. he Mould proceed to clor-
tfy the lCeIter of complicated
netDS NTH phGt sounded like
and lUGS-G most enlightened
and sensible analysts"
Dr.. Freeman was convinced
that wars follow a pattern and
that battles are won by STRAIT
egg, above all else" To make
the action clear to listeners. he
would superimpose the battle
zones over the map of Virginia.
"The enemy" he would re-
port. sis advancing in an area
about the length of HOrsepen
Road, while our troops are biv-
ouacked around Three ChOpt."
This sometimes caused con-
fusion. Two businessmen driv-
ing back to Richmond after a
trip north were once stunned to
hear DR.. Freeman tiguratively
referring TO the bombing The
called it 'bummingo of the town
OF Short Pump, Richmond
suburb"
Verbal designations and NAL
RECOMMENDATIONS were Freeman
trademarks. He preferred the
'Iold Virginia pronunciation OF
"gyarden,' but called a car a
car He supported the 1t" in
often" vigorously.
One thing Miss Williams
learned quickly was to stop split
ting infinitives. He would inter-
rupt the announcer to correct
the sacrilege Immediately. 1T
took him about year to cure
me- she recalls.
She once asked DR.. Freeman
to help her become a foreign cor
respondent.
Or. Freeman" she Sdys, qua,
not at his desk, but Uas lyin0
belly-buSter on an old backleSS
bench. waUing his arms ana
kicking his feet rhythmicdlly
By his side i0aS a muscular young
swimming instructor. iUhom the
doctor had summoned to his
Office to teach him to StDim in
spare moments. Then on
meek ends. the pupil mould take
a trial dip by himself in real
irater. The folloWing Week. the
instructor mould be summoned
again tor more Office tutoring"
DR.. Freeman was frank with
Nelli, giving her his opinion OF
young women who went of to
get into the thick of the fighting