Radio doings (Dec 1930-Jun1932)

the house. They've been mighty square with me, and I try to be fair to them." "Did your father want you to become a minister?" I questioned. "Never once has he mentioned the ministry to me," Bill replied. "I guess he figured if I wanted to be one, I would say so. I've always been interested in radio and electricity. And after I decided to come to Cal Tech, Dad took a great interest in my electrical work. I built an amateur shortwave station at home, and he likes to fool around with it, too. I have an old motorcycle, also, but he won't have anything to do with that. After my first three crack-ups he took a great dislike to it. "He's a mighty busy man. No matter how late he gets home, he always gets up bright and early the next morning. Many a morning he leaves for the city at six o'clock, and often works until nearly midnight. "When he is home, he is usually outdoors, puttering around in the yard. It's a hobby of his to gather up odd stones for his rockery in the front yard. About twice a month he and mother drive clear out to Death Valley to pick up new rocks for his collection. They pal around a lot together. She usually goes with him when he broadcasts or preaches, and when she can't accompany him, she never fails to listen to him on the radio. I can't remember of their ever having had a quarrel. "He likes to be outdoors, and likes animals. We have ducks, pigeons, rabbits, guinea pigs, two cows, horse, and some hogs. Until recently he used to do the milking and feed all the stock himself, but now he is too busy. But he plows and does most of the irrigating in the groves and orchard. "Dad never does any reading at home. He doesn't read fiction, and can't stand jazz. He and Mom have only been to two movies that I can remember. One was a Douglas McLean picture, and the other was a Harold Lloyd comedy. He doesn't care for plays or theatricals at all. "Whenever I play in a football game or a track meet, he is always on deck. Even when he tells me that he doesn't think he can attend a game, I've rarely known him to fail to show up. I can think of only one game he missed. He and Mom were out on the desert on one of their rock-hunting trips, and couldn't get back in time. But he called me up on long distance to find out how the game came out. He goes to every football banquet with me, and likes to mix with the boys. Father and Son On the other hand, Dad Shuler is mighty proud of Bill. And he has good reason to be. Bill is one of the best tackles Cal. Tech ever had. Ever since he was captain of the frosh team he has starred on the gridiron. Last year he was given honorable mention by Pop Warner for the All-Pacific Coast Eleven. In 1930 he was a high point man in track, and holds records for two weight events, the hammer and the discus. He is one of the main-stays of the baseball team. He is a junior in electrical engineering, and stands high in scholarship. Six feet two inches tall, 20 years old, weighing 190 pounds of solid muscle, Bill is a fighting he-man from the word go. He is dark skinned, like his dad, has black curly hair, and doesn't give a darn how he looks, except when he dresses up to go out. He doesn't care much for girls, but would rather go out with the boys. Every Sunday morning finds him at church; not because he has to go but because he enjoys it. "There's one funny thing about Dad. You see, I have four brothers and two sisters younger than myself. And he is always getting our names confused. Sometimes he calls me 'Jack' or 'Bob,' or calls one of the others 'Bill.' He always has so much on his mind that he gets a little absent-minded, I guess. And I doi-.'t believe he could tell you exactly how old any of us are. "Dad is certainly gcx)d to us kids. We've never had to want for anything that he could get for us. Sometimes when I had a date and asked for the car, he'd say, 'Go right ahead and take it. I would rather walk down and catch a bus anyhow — I need some exercise.' He was sure happy when he was recently able to have an addition built on the house so we kids could have rooms of our own. He'd kx^ked forward to that for years. "When I was thirteen I had an infection in my leg and had to have quite a serious operation. Dad had to leave on a trip to Texas, and his train left before I came out of the ether. He told me afterward that it was the hardest thing he ever had to do. "I don't think many people notice it, but Dad is stone deaf in his left ear. He told me that when he was a boy he was herding a bunch of cattle across a partly frozen creek, when his horse slipped and he fell in the icy water. One ear was left useless after he was thawed out. "Dad's father and his brother are both ministers. Grand-dad comes out from Texas to visit us occasionally, and he and Dad have some great times. They have always been pals, and both love to fish and hunt. They take long trips up in the mountains together and never fail to bring back a good mess of fish. "No matter how things are going, Dad never loses his sense of humor. He can see the funny side of everything, and never gets downhearted. He can always find something to laugh about. He is a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln, and tries to be like him. There is a bust of Lincoln in his study that he is very proud of. "I have never seen him sick more than a day in his life. And although he is 52 years old, he doesn't look a day over 40. He gets plenty of exercise, is outdoors whenever he has an opportunity, and eats everything. For breakfast he usually eats bacon and eggs, or pancakes and coffee. He loves fried chicken, and is a regular fiend for lemonade. He never smokes. "Mom is from Tennessee. She met Dad when he was visiting her brothers, while he was still at college. After they were married, they had to live on almost nothing a year for a long time. They've been mighty happy and they're still crazy about each other. If I ever get married, I hope I'll be as lucky as Dad was!" RADIO DOINGS Page Sixteen