In a February blog on Salesmanship, I relayed my experiences in the newspaper business by working, selling and winning a trip to Puerto Rico with 50 other newsboys in 1959. Imagine, 50 kids ages 9-13, in Puerto Rico, no sunscreen, for a week. The best part was that the hotel was across the street from the ballpark and an old fort next door. It was built in a triangle, so everyone could scream and what few other guests were there, could listen to the echo of 50 kids across the whole lobby-maybe even the street.
Well, the last day was a sun and fun day on the beach. We burned RAW!!! No not the first degree stuff, but RAW! I relate to desert movies of guys walking with blisters so big they look like warts. That was us. Since we returned to Chicago in January, we had heavy coats and, of course, sports jackets. World travelers, like us, had to dress the part- even though everyone did it back then. The next two weeks were pretty rough, but Lou gladly spent her idle time peeling skin in strips off my back. At first it feels good and the itchiness goes away, but as it dries, oh, SHIT!
Word spread around school and everywhere that I was back with a truckload of slides of the trip. Everyone wanted to see them. I made the tour at church, neighbors were invited over and the travelogue became a phenom. Even after moving to Springfield, the teachers at Hay-Edwards asked me to show the slides to the class. Well, it was strange that teachers would stop the show and ask me to start over as other teachers were invited in to see my slides then leave after a short period of time "
to get back to their class". My head was huge. I was a star and recognized by all of the teachers for my travel experiences.Left: Only years later as I cruised through the slides of El Morro fortress did I really find the "true reason for my rock star sensation?"
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