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The Southern Israelite
The Pheoomejtial Rise of David Samoff
By JULIUS MAYER
Stranger than fiction reads
the upward climb of the Jew
ish boy from southern Russia
who, at the age of thirty-
eight, heads one of the larg
est industries of the United
Staten. Mr. Mayer sketches
the business career of this
American Jewish radio wiz
ard.—'The Editor.
We are apt to smile when we read
the many business slogans about equal
opportunities, starting at the bottom
of the ladder and the like. It sounds
so propaganda-like. The younger set
does not merely smile, but laughs out
loud and tells you that this success
talk is a lot of hokum. It may have
worked in former times, but not in
these days of merciless competition, of
all-embracing trusts and million-dol-
lar advertising schemes. And then
these young men and women will also
give their final, ready-made argument
about self-made successes: “It is not
opportunity, but just chance. These
worldbeaters who make you stare at
their achievements simply are lucky.
Success falls into their laps.”
But if no argument will convince
the young skeptics of to-day the ex
ample of David Sarnoff surely must.
If ever a man started at the bottom
of the ladder to climb to dizzy heights
in a short time it is the new President
of the Radio Corporation of America.
There can be no doubt that when,
on January 3rd, the directors of the
Uudio Corporation of America an
nounced the election of David Sarnoff
as President of that great organiza
tion a new chapter was written in the
history of sensational successes by
self-made men in this country. Indeed,
even in America, the land in which
the impossible happens, few careers
can parallel the romantic rise of the
Russian Jewish boy who, at the age of
thirty-eight, heads one of the biggest
industries of the United States.
David Sarnoff has at no time can
celled his interest in things Jewish.
His family and that of his wife are
Orthodox, tradition-loving Jews. Yid
dish songs can be heard in their homes
even to-day, Yiddish and Hebrew pub
lications can be found on the library
table. It might surprise some of the
Gentile friends of the great Sarnoff
that the President of the R. C. A.
could make a living as a teacher in a
Hebrew school, so well acquainted is
he with Jewish history and literature.
Not even at the time of his irresisti
ble climbing of the success ladder did
he lose contact with Jewish institu
tional activities, but always was eager
to contribute and ready to answer the
many calls. One of the strange quali
ties of this business genius is that al
though he is one of the busiest men in
New York he finds time for almost
everything and never appears to be in
a hurry.
It is not the purpose of this article
to describe the private life of David
Sarnoff, the radio wizard. I wish mere
ly to sketch the amazing business ca
reer of this self-made success, achiev
ed in the twentieth century, when such
things are so utterly rare. It should
always be remembered that David
Sarnoff’s ascension to the Presidency
of the R. C. A. is not the success of
a get-rich-quick schemer nor of a Wall
Street speculator. To a great extent
the name of Sarnoff is to-day synony
mous with the commercial develop
ment of the radio industry.
Born in a South Russian village
thirty-eight years ago, he was brought
to this country by his parents at the
age of ten. He was the oldest of five
children, and the death of his father
a few years after the family's immi
gration to this country placed the
burden of the support of his mother
and the younger children upon Da
vid’s shoulders. lie went to work as a
delivery boy. Later he sold newspa
pers (this seems to be the traditional
beginning of all self-made men), and
eventually he secured a job with the
Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company
of America as an office boy—this in
the year 1000. This position proved
the inspiration of his career, for here
he studied telegraphy and became, in
turn, wireless operator, station mana
ger, contract manager and commercial
department manager of the Marconi
Company.
What untiring energy, self-confi
dence and continuous effort lie behind
this enumeration of promotions! A
Russian Jewish boy, with an accent,
oppressed by more personal responsi
bilities than the father of a family,
mastering a new industry and making
himself indispensable to one of the
greatest concerns of the world!
HELPED DEVELOP TRANS
OCEAN WIRELESS
When the Radio Corporation of
America was formed in 1919 Sarnoff
was taken over by the new organiza
tion and soon became the General
Manager of the company. In this ca
pacity he assisted in the development
of a great trans-oceanic wireless com
munication service that established
outposts of American radio communi
cation to every leading country in the
world. Later he became Vice-President
of the R. C. A. and in January, 1929,
he was elected Executive Vice-Presi
dent and named a member of the
board of directors.
A practical dreamer, Sarnoff early
saw the opportunities for a new ser
vice and a new industry in the devel
opment of broadcasting as an art. His
of course, invaluable in the program
of industrial and patent mobilization,
experience in the wireless field was,
firm, even at that early stage when
manufactured receiving sets were con
sidered novelties to supply a short
lived fad and the first broadcast pro
grams were looked upon as a passing
phase. Some of the most progressive
business men shook their heads after
listening to the enthusiastic descrip
tions of the future of radio as painted
by young Sarnoff. The big phonograph
companies did not deign to recognize
that a new competitor had entered the
field of music and speech recording
and reproduction.
The energetic manager of the R.
C. A., undaunted by the general skep
ticism concerning broadcasting as an
art, tackled the problem quietly but
forcefully. And he made such head
way that the very phonograph manu
facturers who but a few years before
had disregarded all his advances final
ly agreed to negotiate with him. The
now famous Sarnoff negotiations re
sulted in the combination radio and
phonograph cabinets.
When the radio industry of this
country neared the half billion mark
it became clear that David Sarnoff’s
picture of the future had been indeed
the vision of a practical dreamer.
At this stage Sarnoff had fully
found himself. He was in a position
to give free course to his ideas and
had plenty of elbow room to organize
expand and realize his plans. The
American business world had come to
realize that this young, clean-cut exec
utive with the pleasant smile had be
come one of the big factors in the in
dustrial life of his adopted country.
COMBINES RADIO WITH MOTION
PICTURE INDUSTRY
In 1928 the R. C. A. organized, un
der the direction of Sarnoff. R. C. A
Photophone, Inc., which supplies talk
ing picture equipment to the theatres
and other places of public entertain
ment. David Sarnoff, of course, be
came President of the new organiza
tion, and after the R. C. A. had se
cured an interest in the Radio-Keith-
Orpheum theatres and in the motion
picture organization controlled by the
same group Mr. Sarnoff was elected
chairman of the R. K. 0. corporation.
When, in 1929, it became apparent
that the radio and phonograph in
dustries merged and overlapped at so
many points that the progress and
future of the R. C. A. and the Victor
Talking Machine Company demanded
a unification of interests David Sar
noff conducted the negotiations which
resulted in the formation of the
Radio-Victor Corporation. In the same
year the tireless Vice-President of the
R. C. A. was largely instrumental in
bringing about the formation of the
General Motors Radio Corporation, of
which he is one of the moving spirits.
A MAN OF HIGH IDEALS AND
PRACTICAL METHODS
Two years ago, before Sarnoff was
elected to the supreme position in the
R. C. A., the University of St.
Lawrence conferred upon him the
honorary degree of Doctor of Science.
The Dean of the University summed
up the personality of David Sarnoff
in the following terms: “David Sar
noff, born across the sea, coming tc
America in childhood, a worthy an
notable product of American oppor
tunity, a student and promoter of the
science of wireless communication,
tireless in research, skillful in liter*
ary expression, recognized as a pui
ing force in business affairs, a man
of high ideals, practical methods an
untiring energy.”
Young men may shrug their should
ers at the success slogans of America
and call them a lot of hokum,
career of David Sarnoff is
evidence that the American
world holds more romance 1 '
other sphere—particularly " ,v ‘
remember that David Sarnotf ’
yet thirty-nine, that he stands a
the beginning of his life.
Jewish Academy of Arts. Sciences to Give Public Lectures
New York (J. T. A.)—In a paper on “Scientific Research in Jewish Music.”
presented Sunday at the annual convention of the Jewish Academy of Arts
and Sciences by Professor Jacob Weinberg, the resumption of studies which
were undertaken by the Society of Jewish Music in Russia years ago, but
which were interrupted by the wars and revolutions there, was urged. In
reviewing Jewish music from the folksongs of the Palestinian Jews and
Arabs to the present day, Professor Weinberg particularly emphasized the
value of religious music in interpreting the character of the race.
At a dinner, concluding the third annual convention of the Academy, it
was announced by Dr. Barnet Elzas, a director of the organization, that the
Jewish Academy of Arts and Sciences will give this year a lecture course for
the public. This course, to be given by members of the academy, will include
all branches of the arts and sciences. The academy will also raise a fund to
provide for the publishing of the works of needy scholars and will also give
prizes for the best works of art.