John L. Shields picked cotton on a Texas farm as a child, establishing a lifetime work ethic. Starting from the bottom delivering newspapers and working in a mail room, John never ...ver maisJohn L. Shields picked cotton on a Texas farm as a child, establishing a lifetime work ethic. Starting from the bottom delivering newspapers and working in a mail room, John never thought he would become a journalist. Yet John went on to have a fifty-year career as a reporter, editor, publisher, and CEO for newspaper companies throughout the United States.ver menos