%1

Two days after graduating from high school, I reported for duty as a summertime relief reporter for the Moline Daily Dispatch, where I covered cops and robbers, city councils and school boards, births and deaths, train wrecks and bubble-gum contests at the city parks. Not wanting to pretend I was older than I was, I carefully selected a white, open-collar sport shirt for my first-day attire. When I walked through the city-room door, my gruff and red-faced city editor said, "Larson, we belong to a semiprofession.  We wear dress shirts to work with conservative ties.