Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Page 4 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.