nainsandeep
November 16th, 2002, 06:10 PM
For many of us, there is a certain level of comfort that making
somebody wait for us enhances our prestige value. Here is a story to
be remembered for this is the kind of stuff that makes timeless
legends, not momentary value. As we interact with hundreds of people
daily, we have a tendency to stereotype people for how they
look. This story reminds us to look beyond what we SEE, to see the
real people behind the looks.
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 University
President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that
in 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.
"Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she
told him.
He signed 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 who attended Harvard for one year.
He loved Harvard. He was happy here; but about a year ago, he was
accidentally killed. 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.
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 -
Stanford University.
somebody wait for us enhances our prestige value. Here is a story to
be remembered for this is the kind of stuff that makes timeless
legends, not momentary value. As we interact with hundreds of people
daily, we have a tendency to stereotype people for how they
look. This story reminds us to look beyond what we SEE, to see the
real people behind the looks.
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 University
President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that
in 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.
"Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she
told him.
He signed 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 who attended Harvard for one year.
He loved Harvard. He was happy here; but about a year ago, he was
accidentally killed. 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.
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 -
Stanford University.