To: Jim Bishop who wrote (89 ) 10/31/1998 11:39:00 PM From: CIMA Respond to of 1650
A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun >>>threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly >>>without an appointment into the Harvard president's outer office. >>>The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country >>>hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to >>>be in Cambridge. >>>She frowned. "We want to see the president", the man said softly. >>>"He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. >>>"We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary ignored them, >>>hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. >>>They didn't. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to >>>disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted >>>doing. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," >>>she told him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of >>>his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but >>>he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his >>>outer office. >>>The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple. >>>The lady told him, "We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. >>>He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was >>>accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a >>>memorial to him, somewhere on campus". >>>The president wasn't touched, he was shocked. >>>"Madam," he said gruffly, "We can't put up a statue for every person >>>who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like >>>a cemetery". >>>"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly, "We don't want to erect a >>>statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard." >>>The president rolled his eyes. >>>He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, >>>"A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? >>>We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at >>>Harvard". >>>For a moment the lady was silent. >>>The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. >>>And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it >>>costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" >>> >>>Her husband nodded. >>>The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. >>>And Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo >>>Alto, California, where they established the University that bears >>>their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about. >>> >>> >>>-- >>>Alex Lee, alexlee1@home.com >>>http://members.home.net/alexlee1 >>> >>>Alex's Mailing List, established February, 1995. All rights reserved. >>>Special thanks to all those who forward me jokes so that I can pass >>>them along. Thank you. >>> >>>Vancouver, British Columbia >>>Canada >>> >>>"Imagination is more important than knowledge. " >>> -- Einstein >>> >>