Heads Columbia Records at 35

NAMED President of Columbia Records, Inc., at the age of 35, James B. Conkling '36 believes that the entertainment field is not often enough considered as a possible career for college men, and that it holds great possibilities for those who like to get ahead while they are still young.

Conkling himself did not consider the entertainment industry as a profession while he was in college or, later, when he was in the Navy. If he had not been injured in a boat collision in Chesapeake Bay during World War II, he would probably never have considered his present career. Transferred to a California hospital to recuperate from the shoulder injuries he sustained in the accident, he renewed his friendship with Paul Weston '33, in whose dance band Conkling had played in college. Weston, who at that time was with Capitol Records, told his friend of an opening in that company which Conkling accepted. In a short time he was made vice president in charge of artists and repertoire. Later he became affiliated with Columbia Records, a subsidiary of the Columbia Broadcasting System—taking the post of President on February 1.

At Dartmouth Conkling played in the Band and the Barbary Coast Orchestra. In his work in the records field he has shown a definite flair for anticipating hit tunes as well as the way the public will prefer to hear them played.

With his wife, the former Donna King who was one of the four singing King sisters, and three children, Conkling plans to make his new home somewhere within commuting distance of both New York and Bridgeport, Conn., where Columbia Records is located.

JAMES B. CONKLING '36