I hitchhiked home to Dixon, Illinois. Radio jobs were scarce in Dixon, but my father told me that Montgomery Ward had opened a store and was seeking a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I played high school football, I applied. The job seemed tailor-made for me. However, I was rejected.

I must have been disappointed. "Everything happens for the best," Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.