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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 23, 1963)
g g THURSDAY. MAY 23. 1963 MEDFOBD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFOBD. OBEOOW Slodro Stresses Need for (Highly Competent American By DELOS SMITH UPI Sdtnct Editor New York-iUPIi-There's no point in sending a birthday present to the lean and effici ent man who will be 88 yea old next Thursday. But would if he could make present to you and to you and to you - indeed, to each and every American. HU fortune, estimated financial circles at something like $200 million or more, has In large measure already been dedicated to people. But unhappily the gift for every one is unpurchasablc in mas sive lots. Yet it is something almost anyone could give himself if he really puts his mind to It. It is the burning and un quenchable desire to be com petent. According to the die tionary, to be competent to be able "to answer to ail reaulrements." That takes great deal of doing in h present world, what with th enormous complexities which science and technology have wrought. For the secure future of our country and its free enter prise system there can't pos sibly be too many highly c o m p e t ent Americans. Yet millions of us are more de lighted by games than by technology and more fasci nated by television escapism than by the meanings and strivings of science. Competence Need This would-be gift giver believes nothing Is more inv portant for America than high competence in the even more difficult years and dec ades which are to come. To be sure, he Is biased, He has proved himself to be one. of the most competent of men, He Is Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr., arriving at yet an other birthday bright of eye, sharp of mind, and hard of Hearing. This man Is the prime maker of General Mo tors Corporation as It has evolved today with its work ing capital of $3,828,030,000, its gross 1062 sales of $14, 640,241,000, Its Investment of $6,630,872,000 and its some 605,000 employees. He also it the prime devel oper of thousands of highly competent minds and, what's more, the layman whom his tory may well single out for a share of the credit when science finally licks cancer. These are the free enterprises which now absorb his still sizeable energies. At 88 he has outlived al most all his contemporaries, Including a dearly loved wife with whom he had 58 years of tranquil marriage. He is childless and so there is an aloneness which could isolate him from people and the real world, as it docs so many aged persons. Sloan at Desk But he doesn't allow this to happen to him. If he did it would show he was no longer "answering to all re quirements." Every week day morning he is at his desk by 10 in the offices of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation on the 25th floor of a Fifth ave. of fice building. It is now endowed with a little over $240 million and is set up to work through per petuity for high American competence in technology, science, economics and all other requirements for living and achieving. He Is board chairman, the policy maker. As he was when he was head man at CM, he is surrounded by executives of demonstrably high compe tence. Dr. Everett Case resign- ed as president of Colgate uni versity to become president of the foundation. Dr. Warren Weaver, one of the most am- complished of American men of science, is a vice president, so is Albert Bradley, a GM financial aupcrbrain who was Sloan's successor as GM chair man. This is no giving money- away enterprise, please under stand. It is directed at invest ing money in people (rather than in projects and other things,") and most definitely Sloan and his foundation ex pect these investments to yield returns in the public interest. Fighting Cancar Up to the end of 1062 it had spent or committed about $65 million toward improving the competence of Americans and about $25 million into the search for the knowledge which will relieve people of "the greatest curse levied on mankind by nature." That is Sloan's characterization of cancer. The money seeking high competence went into educa tion at all levels - "high," professional, elementary, sec ondary and even "popular". Most of it was invested in in dividuals seeking to make their high competence even higher, and In individuals with the burning desire to achieve it. The cancer millions went into the Sloan-Kcttering Insti tute for cancer research in New York which Sloan got going in the late 20's, enlisting the late Charles F. Kettering of GM. It was one of the first large-scale and fully staffed and equipped organizations devoted exclusively to con quering cancer and provided an impetus that encouraged the present world-wide mas sive effort. It now get finan cial support from many sourc es, especially from private philanthropies attracted by Sloan's initiative, Giving money away is no problem, as anyone knows. But private philanthropy which is intended to be highly competent In producing bene fits for Americans and their country is the toughest of problems. The federal govern ment could be a competitor, an overwhelming one. The hundreds of millions of gen eral tax funds which go an nually into such old-line phil anthropic causes as education and medical research dwarf the potentials of even the largest fortunes. Not Competing The Sloan philanthropies avoid competition with gov ernment funds. In one way or another, they're designed to get selected balls to rolling, Sloan got tne cancer re search ball rolling. Another ball of his was formal research and study to improve the com petence of industrial manage ment. A current ball is to stimulate continuing technical education of engineers and teachers of engineers. In his vocabulary, "imagi nation" and "aggressive" are big words. He looks for the imaginative idea which is meaningful enough to be pur sued aggressively. These ideas come to him in abundance still, as they always have. One such resulted in the founda tion s keen interest in popu lar education. Science and technology need both an inter tested and knowing public and Sloan grants are being used to build such a public. Sloan does not quarrel with the use of tax funds for many philanthropic purposes. But he has been concerned lest private philanthropy should get discouraged by govern ment competition. "I believe that every one profits by the opportunity presented by this country of ours," he told this reporter. "I hold, therefore, that each accumulates a debt or ob ligation, subconsciously, of course, to our society and to the degree so benefited there is recognized an obligation to contribute in proper measure one s talent and one's sub' stance to promoting the gen eral cause, especially in the area of greatest need, Aids Increasing "I believe the incrcasini realization of all this in the face of urgent social needs of all types expanded by the advance of science, explains in part the great increase in private philanthropy in cent years." At 88, Sloan remains in credibly well-informed, as he was during the 30 years he was at the top at General Motors. (From 1923 to 1046, he was the chief executive officer; from 1846 to 1956 he was chairman of the board.! Appraisals and reports of all kinds, (Including those from GM where he remains r-iteil prfpih prf pi if I iHiiltlsi lhsita U$rtH?Ni If-fil&ggH i r ii i ii n miiiiiinii.i a i t ,Ym wMiiiiiw x.C,..Lx ..J director, member of two governing committees and as honorary chairman; are chan neled across his desk. An executive is likely to exclaim, "Why, Mr. Sloan! You should have had your secretary phone! I'd have come to you. I'm younger than you are." Such a remon strance Sloan brushes off with, "Yes, but you're busier than I am." There's not a single "yes" man in the Sloan Foundation. His affectionate trust is in the people who can conceive of Alfred P. Sloan being wrong and are loyal enough to him to speak up. He ex pects to be proven wrong, of course, and when one execu tive succeeded in doing so with utter finality, Sloan said to him, "Did I flop on that one!" All the while beaming with the gratitude of the res cued. No Protege This reporter asked one of his right-hand men at the lounaation, Albert Bradley, were you Mr. Sloans pro tege at GM? Bradley, who is almost 72 by the wav. bris- ilea, -certainly not," he said and then made it nlain ho naa risen to the top Job on nis own nign competence. With that, crisis surmount ed, ne talked of "Mr. Slnan with bright humor and mani- lest auection. Sloan has a way of stand ing off and having a look at nimseit. He Jokes about his poor hearing and his creep ing age. 11s ncu to get old but I don't care much for the alternative," he said, His personal humility and his modesty are among his most cnarming qualities. Yet he is aggresive" - to use a favored word of his He aggressively expects peo ple 10 De competent and to grow increasingly more so with age and experience. It hasn t yet occurred to him that this attitude could he oia-iashioned, He is "Mr. Sloan to evcrv one, and he has been through nis aauu years. Not even Bradley calls him "Alfred and as far back as Bradley can remember, only a verv few people who were close business associates of his youth, ever have. There is no apparent rea son why this is so. He appears to be a simple man although of course he couldn't be since no man really is. But he is easily approachable, a man 10 wnom you can say any- tning. But there's something austere, detached and ele vated in his personality which makes chummy familiarity unthinkable. Dines Alone Aside from his late wife who is often in his thouahts. he has had no true intimates, no cronies. When he goes out to lunch, he goes alone. After Mrs. Sloan died in 1956 he sold their homes in Florida and on Long Island and he now lives only in their co-op apariincnt on Fifth Ave nue, some 15 blocks from his office, attended by a small staff of servants. Compared to the usual run of multi-mil lionaire homes, it is no great shakes. There isn't a single Rembrandt in the place. But there is a television, of course. Sloan enjoys the night base ball games. His hair is both sparse and white. His voice may quaver t times and his face 19 lined. But he has intense drive still, ud intense interests, and a dedication which he docs not advertise but which is always evident, Look back over his long life and you'll find only con sistency from boyhood to the j present. As a teen-ager in Brooklyn he was seeking spc-1 cial instruction so he could , get into Massachusetts Insti tute of Technology ahead of BEST THING NEXT TO A NEW CADILLAC! It has been rightly said that the only logical sub stitute (or a new Cadillac motor car is a Cadillac of greater vintage, lika the popular white llltil coupe shown above. With gales of the new 1963 Cadillac at an all time high an exciting world of used Cadillacs Bwaits you at your authorized dealer right now. If you have long looked forward to ownership of the Standard of the World, we Mieve this is a most opportune time to achieve that divani. Countless thousands of proud and happy owners will tell you that a well-caivd-for used Cadillac is a sounder, longer-lasting investment than many new cam of less distinction. In most dealers' current attractive selections of used Cadillacs you will find a wide choice of models, colors and equipment lo economically provide you with the superb motoring luxury reserved for Cadillac owners alone. Visit your dealer right now while his stock of Quality-Value used Cadillacs is at its finest. VISIT YOUR LOCAL, AUTHOIUZED CADILLAC DEALER SKINNER BUICK-CADILLAC 143 SOUTH RIVERSIDE Mercy Flights Takes Patients to Homes Several persons have been flown to hospitals outside of the Rogue valley or returned home recently, according to Mercy Fliithts. Inc. Mrs. Edith Warnock. Med- ford, was returned to her home from Wheeler, Ore., after receiving medical treat ment there. She was the 457th patient flown by the non-profit air ambulance serv ice since it was started. Douglas Loudon, Yrcka, was tlown to ban rrancisco for emergency medical care, and Bert Blondcll. Agncss. as returned to the valley Iter medical treatment at the Veterans Administration hos pital. Vancouver, Wh. Earlier, Patricia Stroll. 11- cxr-old daughter of Mrs. Catherine Stroh. H7 Fourth ave.. Gold Hill, was flown to the Children's hospital, Scat-, tic. Wash., for medical care. ASTROLOGER EXPELLED Katmandu. Nepal - UTS - Ja ganath Misra, an Indian as troloijcr who predicted trou ble for King Mahcndra's two- month-old parliamentary Rov ernment. has been expelled from this mountain kingdom. ins age group. He needed only inree years there instead of the usual four to get his de gree in electrical engineering. He was then 20 and imagi native enough to realize anti friction bearings were going to revolutionize mechanical design, since they overcome the destructiveness of friction. Even now most people would say automobiles revolution ized it, but the fact is anti friction bearings made auto mobiles possible. Well Endowed Obviously he was well-endowed by nature. His parents had education, and culture, and were comfortably well-to-do without being wealthy. He has three brothers and a sis ter, all living but all younger than he. Two brothers have distinguished themselves. Dr. Raymond P. Sloan as a public health scientist,, (he is a pro fessor at Columbia Univer sity), and Harold S. Sloan as an economist, This reporter reports sci ence in the main. Sloan be came a vibrant personality to him, rather than merely a name at the top of American industry at the Memorial Sloan-Kcttering Cancer Cen ter where he is an inspircr, an encouragcr, and an "Incen tive "-maker-to use another of Sloan's favored words. The scientists regard him with af fection. To them he is a pow erfully stimulating force. Yet this man has never had cancer strike close to him. You could wonder why his deep emotional involvement- why cancer was such an in tense interest. Slowly you re alize why-cancer offends him deeply. It cuts down compe tent human beings in their I prime. So far it has made mock of the most competent scientific efforts to lick it. This reporter asked Sloan if he felt discouraged, if only now and then. "No," he said. "Cancer has only been under attack during the last 25 years and intensively only during the last 15 years. It is a most profound problem. It in volves the very processes of life concerning which science knows little. I hold that any problem, such as cancer, at tacked aggressively and pro gressively, given adequate time, essential talent and ths required facilities, will ba solved." I TH CHECK J THE SAVE ITEMS I I at HUBBARD BROS, I SALE ENDS MAY 25th OREGON FOOD WESTGATE VARIETY SPE Oblong With Attached Benches uiL Round With . cSSgSs. atilm iJIll . 2 Benches $798 TABLE & BENCH SETS CHIIDREN'S DIALS! BEAUTIFUL SELECTION PLASTIC FLOWERS All Kinds and Colors Priced From 10 29 STEM WREATHS AND ARRANGEMENTS 99o$298 IADIES' DUSTERS All Cotton Drip Dry-Wash and Wear . New Patterns U M98 Each "Garing" Deluxe 3-Ply Nylon Reinforced Garden Hose 716 Inside Diameter 598 Cm 50-Foot Long CM Ea. 10-YEAR GUARANTEE "REDDY IOC" Adjustable ' .' WINDOW SCREENS Priced From 89 c le 49 ALUMINUM SCREENING LOW, LOW PRICES uHLj. BARBECUE I .ooV. at the Features 1 XEafL" WHAT A PRICE Mum idlM- 'in njf y f M - l "Mti-t-ittic" MM " Jr I in ijtta mm mw at 1 1 while They OREGON FOOD STORES WESTGATE CENTER Pn'coi tfftctlv. 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