MEMO FROM THE PUBLISHER

Often I'm surprised when readers mention names they've learned from SI's masthead. I really shouldn't be. Despite its mildly forbidding character, the masthead is a gathering of highly interesting people who are vital members of the team which produces the magazine. So to many of you the name of the anchor man on our masthead, Advertising Director William W. Holman, is perhaps already familiar. It is, of course, a name well known, through long and close association, to hundreds and hundreds of his colleagues in the business and advertising field.

Not long ago Bill left for a much-deserved vacation, which is one way of saying that the advertising in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED reflects a fine state of health for a magazine only 18 months old. Before he went, he cleared his desk and as a last piece of business wrote a memo to our sales staff. It's strictly shop talk, but because of our readers' heartwarming interest in nearly everything about SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, as expressed in countless good wishes for our continuing success, I think you'll enjoy reading it too. For it is almost the best possible kind of success story:

TO: THE SALES STAFF
FROM: BILL HOLMAN

Our orders for advertising space on the books for the first half of 1956 as we go into February already exceed what we carried in the first half last year.

The orders in just this morning's mail exceeded the total for the entire corresponding week a year ago.

Our orders on the books for the second half are double that of this point a year ago.

Our advertisers with high-frequency schedules continue to mount.

These unmistakable signs of steadily increasing recognition by advertisers are something that you, our editors and our readers can all be proud of.

And with that Bill Holman left on what must certainly be one of his happiest vacations.

PHOTO

SI's BILL HOLMAN