>From: "GORDON A. GOLDER" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: "GORDON A. GOLDER" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "Ann Utley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Fw: Judging
>Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 20:33:17 -0400
>
>
> > Appearance vs. Heart
> >
> >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 president of Harvard'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 to do.
> >
> >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.
> >
> >Moral: You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat
> >those who can do nothing for them or to them.
> >
> >
>
>
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