"Tell Me a Story"

GEORGE KIRKSEY

The author knew Paid Gallico from the years when they were both
sports writers for newspapers in New York. This article is related to
an earlier one by Gallico which was printed in the November i^-jo
issue of Columns. We regret to report that Mr. Kirksey was killed in
an auto accident in France this simimer.                        editor's note
 

P
 

AUL GALLICO'S life story has not yet been written,
but on the eighth floor of the Butler Library at Columbia
University there is a treasure tro\e of manuscripts, memo¬
randa, plot outlines, letters, notes and other memorabilia which,
taken in the whole, weave a fascinating pattern of this one writer's
experiences, tribulations and output over a period of nearly 35
years.

Gallico, who graduated from Columbia in 1921, gave all his
papers and written material to the Libraries in 1969 where, w^hen
they arc finally sorted and cataloged, they will constitute one of
the most valuable collections of a contemporary author. Every¬
thing is there for those who are contemplating becoming a writer,
for those who are seeking information while in the throes of choos¬
ing a career, for those who have a desire to look behind the scenes
at a writer's professional life, and for those who have been charmed
and captivated over the years by Paul Galileo's sometimes whim¬
sical, sometimes poignant but ahvays highly entertaining stories.

Gallico has had a remarkable literary career, one unique in
many respects. Columbia played its role in producing the man who
was eventually to become one of the most accomplished crafts¬
men of the contemporary literary world.

Galileo's writing technique did not blossom overnight. He tried
writing a short story when he was only ten years old in a hotel
room in Brussels during the 1907 '\\'orld's Fair, and he kept after