Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 212, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1910 — HOW BEEBE GOT HIS START [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOW BEEBE GOT HIS START

Btudled Hard to Become Mechanical Engineer, But Found Much More Money In Baseball. - jp rxvENS’BEEBK.) (Copyright, 1910, by Joseph B. Bowles.) W hen I completed my cpllege course at the University of Illinois I wenh out to make my living. My people had sacrificed themselves to send me to college. Now I had gone to Hyde Park high school in Chicago to fit myself for a college career. I liked baseball and pitched for the high school team, which was a good one, but was always neglecting baseball in order to study. When I went to the university it was the same way; I wanted to make something of myself and planned a mechanical expert’s career. They persuaded me to pitch for the Varsity team and I gave it as much tjme as my studies allowed. When I finished at school I felt I owed something to my people for educating me. I had gained some honors at school and because of this I received an offer of $55 a month ,to work at the profession I had spent three years studying. At the same time a semi-profes-sional baseball club was offering me

three times as much money to pitch two games a week. I pitched for a time while looking for a job but'made nothing. Once I pitched a winning game and was paid two pitchers’ undershirts and a glove. The prospect was not encouraging. The best offer 1 received from any firm which needed the services of a college graduate in my line was S6O a month. I began to regret that I had devoted so much of my time to study and so little to baseball. Then I received a good offer to pitch baseball professionally and accepted it. Several fellows from the university team had made good in the major leagues and they “boosted” me. The -result was I jumped right into the major league and began to forget my other profession. I never have regretted it. I have made more money in seven years pitching than I could have in 49 at my real profession and when my arm wears out I have my fruit ranch to go to and a lot of pleasant memories to -recall. .