There's Always A Challenge 'Round The Next Bend Work Hard:John D. MacArthur's drive to keep making money set the stage for one of the country's biggest charities.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: AMY REEVES

To John D. MacArthur, there was only one direction to go in--up.

MacArthur (1897-1978) was born to a poor but very ambitious family. His father was a Scottish immigrant and lay preacher who sired a brood of mischievous and highly competitive children.

MacArthur's older brother Alfred went to Chicago and became a successful insurance executive. Another brother owned a newspaper chain by the time he was 25. A third, Charles, became a playwright, co-authoring "The Front Page" with Ben Hecht and marrying actress Helen Hayes.

John, younger than all these brothers, figured he had to show them up. At age 19 he went to work for Alfred's insurance company. In addition to having a salesman's skill, John was determined to prove himself and put in longer hours than anyone else. He spent hours pounding the pavement, drumming up customers. In his first year, he sold $1 million worth of insurance policies.

By that time, World War I had started, and MacArthur joined the Navy. But soon he grew restless. Seeing that there was a chance to learn to fly in the Canadian air force, he joined up. That came to an abrupt halt when he crashed and injured his back.

He returned to America, in danger of being court-martialed for desertion. Suddenly realizing the trouble he could get in, MacArthur fell back on his sales skills. He'd charmed a female journalist just before he was caught, and she wrote a story portraying him as a wounded hero. With that kind of PR, the Navy didn't want to stir up trouble, and he avoided a trial.