Posted: 7/17/2002 2:16:00 AM EDT
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This is a good example of "Don't judge a book by it's > cover". > > 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 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 > 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 and 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 has 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. Maybe 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. Mr. and Mrs. Leland > Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, > California where they > established the university that bears their name, > STANFORD UNIVERSITY, a > memorial to a son that > Harvard no longer cared about. > > You can easily judge the character of others by how they > treat those who they > think can do nothing for them or to them. -- by Malcolm > Forbes > |