"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. "If you can carry on, one day something good will happen." After graduating from college in 1932, I decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer . I took the bus to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I was refused every time. In one studio, a nice lady told me that big stations didn't want to accept inexperienced persons. "Go to the countryside and find a small station that'll give you a chance," she said. I returned home, Dixon in Illinois. While there were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Smith Ward had opened a store and wanted a local sportsman to manage its sports department. Since I had played high school football in Dixon, I applied . The job sounded just right for me. But I still failed in the interview. At that moment, mom's words came to my mind: "Everything happens for the best." Dad offered me a car to look for a job. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport in Iowa. The program director, named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer. As I left his office, I felt sad. I asked aloud, "How can a man become a sports announcer if he can't get a job in a radio station?" I was waiting for the lift when I heard MacArthur calling, "What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?" Then he made me stand before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game. As a result, I did a wonderful job and was told to broadcast Saturday's game! On my way home, I thought of my mother's words again: "Everything happens for the best if you carry on. One day something good will happen." After the writer graduated from college, he tried to look for a job in  _  at first.
Chicago Dixon Davenport Illinois