Gathering All the News McDonald was one of those individuals who saw the ideal finished product* and then drove himself and everyone around him towards its completion. Like most who work this way, his life was full of frustration because the ideal is never achieved. This frustration made him prone to outbursts of bad temper and impatience. He was as neat as a pin, and if things around him were disorderly it enraged him. Art's hobby was finished carpentry, and apparently he turned out some very fine work, so he felt confident he could direct someone to get the news department underway. True to the tradition of all announcers working their way up from the bottom, meaning they had to sweep floors as well as announce and operate, Art put two of the newest novices, Syd Kennedy and Keith Morrow, to work building partitions to enclose the newsroom. "Okay, now boys there's the tools and the two by fours and the layout for the partitions. Now these will be seen by the public so make sure they're square and plumb." Art warned. The boys got to work. Later Art came in to inspect. "What's the matter with you guys? Don't you know what straight means? Look at that, its listing at about thirty degrees, and the whole damn thing is about as straight as a dog's hind leg. Tear it all down and do it again—right this time!" Art spat at the announcers and glared at them with contempt. Syd Kennedy's hot young blood boiled, and he flung his hammer in protest with great force at the offending partition. "You're fired", roared Art. "Does that mean both of us?" asked Keith Morrow , not being very experienced in the ways of the world. Art's eyes shot sparks at them. "Yes! Yes! YES!. Get out of here—both of you!" The boys took off in high dudgeon down to White's restaurant just below the station. Tom White , known by everybody as the "Deacon", a fight promoter among other things, always listened to their tale of woe. "You guys'd better watch out for the Colonel," the Deacon advised, "He comes in here about this time for his smokes." And sure enough, just as he was finishing saying it, in walked the Colonel. "What are you boys doing down here at this time?" "We're fired, sir." "What for?" 117