As appeared in The Rattle - Vol. XXXVII No. 4 - Fall 1947

Two Theta Chis Are Aids to Kiplinger
Few outstanding businessmen throughout the United States fail to keep in touch with what is going on in Washington that affects their interests through the medium of the Kiplinger—Washington Letter, which has been an effective instrument for their enlightenment since it was started nearly a quarter of a century ago by W. M. Kiplinger, a one~time Ohio newspaper man. Two Theta Chis are key men in the organization which makes this service possible: Boyce Morgan, Penn State, '25, who is managing director, and John E. Ryerson, Maryland, ’28, editorial chief of staff. The former looks after business phases of the establishment, serving as sales and circulation manager. The latter is not only one of the present editors, but is also treasurer of the company. A former member of the staff was O. S. Granducci, an Ohio State Theta Chi, who after serving as an editor a number of years, left in 1945 to become a free lance writer for commercial motion pictures.

The Kiplinger Letters have as their characteristics presentation of news and information in capsule form, models of concise, dramatic statements. They are issued weekly, being sent by first class or air mail.

A permanent staff of twelve writers, each of whom is a specialist in a number of subjects and an authority on Washington news, starts each Monday to cover the week’s developments, providing readers with interpretation, effective judgment, and a sense of value in the information presented.

The record of the agency in forecasting news is remarkable as there is little credence given to gossip. The letters carry no advertising.

W. Boyce Morgan joined the agency in 1943, bringing a background of newspaper reporting and syndicate editing to his position. As an undergraduate at Penn State he had edited Froth, a human magazine, and the Old Maine Bell, literary magazine, as well as serving as associate editor of La Vie, the yearbook. He was also a member of Penn State Players, Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Delta Epsilon, Theta’ Alpha Phi, and Skull and Bones.

Following his graduation, he became a reporter on the Chicago Journal and later became a feature writer for Associated Editors, Inc., a Chicago newspaper syndicate on which he functioned as managing editor for several years. He was also managing editor of the Independent Syndicate, Inc., Washington, D. C., and left that organization to become owner and manager of the Associated Editors, Washington, D. C. He edited a popular weekly boys’ and girls‘ page, distributed by Associated Editors. He bought this feature and the syndicate name in 1935' and later developed another feature, a column. He continued to supply these two features to newspapers throughout the country until the wartime paper shortage made things difficult. As he had served on a. part time editorial basis for the Kiplinger-Washington Agency, it was not strange that he was given the job of office manager for that organization. In the fall of 1943 he became managing director.

Mr. Morgan makes his home in Bethesda, Maryland. He is a member of the National Press Club of Washington.

When he joined the staff of the Kiplinger Agency he found as an associate, John E. Ryerson, who had followed his graduation in 1928 with service in the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. While doing clerical work for this organization he studied law at George Washington University, securing the LLB. degree in 1933, the year he joined the Kiplinger Agency.

Willard Monore Kiplinger is a Sigma Pi who was graduated from Ohio State in 1912. While the circulation of his Washington Letter is not made public,l2$,000 is considered a conservative estimate at $18 a year, thus totaling about two and a quarter million dollars gross.

What Will Happen at Penn State?
Just how one of the educational experiments in the country which came as a result of record registration of service men will affect fraternities may be determined this fall when Omega Chapter and other fraternity chapters on the campus of Penn State will rush and pledger men who enter as sophomores from a number of teacher training institutions in the star of Pennsylvania. Last fall no freshman were admitted on the campus of Penn State, but were sent to various other schools which served as undergraduate centers. Some of these men who will enter were contacted last year by members of Omega Chapter and were entertained in the chapter house over the week-end of May 17-18. Some of the men entertained were invited to stay in the chapter house temporarily this fall until their registration is complete.

Sport News
Coach Chick Warner at Penn State is convinced that Theta Chi’s Gerald Karver, ’48, will threaten Glenn Cunningham's mile record of 4:06.7 this coming season.

Omega Chapter News in The Rattle - Fall 1947