In Their Shoes: In Their Shoes

8: Europe: Free-Lancing and Looking for Texans

& europe: Ji.ee-1!ancin'l anJ1!ookin'lfor Xans«Sing away sorrow, cast away care. » - Cervantes, Don Quixote 5was twenty-nine when I left my Fort Worth home, husband, a salaried job, all security. I had no credit cards, no bank account. Even Don Quixote had Sancho Panza, but I set out alone on my quest. I had a dream: to prove to myself I could start from scratch, travel the world and earn my living by the articles I sold. I now had eleven years ofwork experience, in Lubbock for two years, in New York for two years, and in Fort Worth for seven years. Additionally, for the Star- Telegram, I had made two short trips, in 1947 and 1951, to Europe. In 1952, with the Second World War behind us, America was busy making friends offormer enemies, while at the same time growing increasingly jittery about a former ally, the Soviet Union, which had disregarded its wartime agreements and taken over half of Europe. In addition to having American GIs on the battlefield in Korea, the United States had tens of thousands of U.S. men based throughout Europe, on the alert as a "cold war" threatened to become another world conflagration. I studied the situation overseas and thought of a plan to sell stories to Texas editors. Borrowing my brother Harry's car, I drove from Fort Worth to EI Paso -that's twelve 73 74 In Their Shoes hundred miles round-trip. And midway I stopped in Midland. On other days I drove to Dallas, Waco, Austin, Houston. And I made still another trip to Lubbock and Amarillo. Arriving at a newspaper office after a long drive - it was a hot summer, and back then cars had no airconditioning - I went to a ladies' room to freshen up. Then I asked to see the managing editor. Usually his door was open. Seated before an editor with a serious though friendly demeanor, I began: "I'm going to Europe. I will look around for servicemen from your area." I suggested that his readersfathers , mothers, wives, sisters, brothers, friends of these servicemen - would find my "hometown" features of interest. In talking with an editor, such as R. J. Watts of the Houston Chronicle, Felix McKnight of the Dallas Morning News, Bill Collyns of the Midland ReporterTelegram or Harry Provence of the Waco News- Tribune, I did not ask for a contract, advance or expense money, nor did I inquire of any editor what he might pay for an article. I asked only that he look at my copy, which they all agreed to do. When I boarded a propeller-driven plane for Paris, I had a one-way ticket and five ten-dollar bills in my purse. "We know God takes care of you," sighed my Fort Worth sister , adding, "but why do you make it so hard on Him?" Landing around noon on September 20 and carrying a small French-English dictionary, I asked directions to SHAPE, the headquarters of the European command. Boarding a designated bus, I arrived, after an hour's drive, at the headquarters, which was like a small Pentagon, with all nationalities ofthe NATO organization working side by side. General Dwight Eisenhower had been succeeded in that year by General Matthew Ridgway. With insouciance, I approached a uniformed guard: "I want to see General Ridgway." I had no appointment, I was not "cleared" to see a general, yet the guard did not subject me to body Europe: Free-Lancing and Lookingfor Texans 75 search or catechism. Rather, "Have a seat." And within minutes, "This way, the general will see you." As VIPs in those days were not harassed by an army of adversarial reporters, the general acted pleased to receive me, treating me in a genial, avuncular manner. Politely answering my questions, he readily agreed to my snapping his picture. Soon the general was setting up appointments with other members of his staff and in particular with the Texans under his command. As 1 moved about Europe, 1 met other American reporters and photographers, but they were all salaried employees. 1 met no other writer or photographer who was earning his or her keep as a free-lance writer. And no one seemed to understand how 1 kept afloat. "I've always thought free-lancing was writing mostly for free," said Tom Curran, European manager for the United Press wire...