My First Job: William Klink, newspaper editor

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August 7, 2005

My First Job: William Klink, newspaper editor

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William Klink

Current position: Retired after a 28-year career as a daily newspaper editor and seven years in public relations.

First job: Selling magazines in Sedalia, Miss., at age 9. I sold the Saturday Evening Post and the Ladies' Home Journal and delivered 35 to 40 magazines a week to subscribers on my bicycle. I made 1.5 cents on each Post and 2.5 cents on each Journal, so I pushed the Journal harder. I made 70 to 80 cents weekly — doesn't sound like much, but in 1939, a hamburger was a dime and movies were a nickel with your Royal Mounties membership card — and that included a double feature, news, a serial, two cartoons and 5 cents for popcorn, which gave me nearly five hours of entertainment for a dime.

What I learned: How to sell and hustle business. How to be kind and patient with middle-age and old ladies who were 90 percent of my magazine route. I often got hot chocolate and cookies as perks. And I never had a late payment or a default.

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