A lady in a faded light cotton dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun wornout suit got off the train in Boston, United States. They walked with a feeling of fear and shyness into the outer office of the President of Harvard University. They had no appointment to meet the President. The Secretary could tell in a moment that such awkward persons typical of rural areas had no business at Harvard University noted for business studies and law. The lady wrinkled her brow in anger and disgust. The man said softly that they wanted to see the President. The Secretary said in a sharp, short way that he would be busy all day. The lady replied that they would wait.
For hours, the Secretary took no notice of them. She hoped that they would become discouraged and go away. They did not. And the ,Secretary grew frustrated. She told the President that they would just see him for a few minutes and leave and he sighed in irritation and gave a quick shake of his head.
Being a man of importance he did not have time to spend with them. He hated country folk with homespun clothes moving in his outer office in an untidy way. The President, not gentle and harsh, walked stern-faced with dignity toward the couple. The lady told him that they had a son , who attended Harvard for one year and he was accidently killed a year ago. She continued that they would like to give a building to Harvard somewhere on the campus as a memorial to their son. The President rolled his eyes, and glanced at the couple. He then spoke out with anger that they had no idea how much a building would cost. He added that they had spent more than a seven and a half million dollars in the construction of a building over there.
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For a moment the lady was silent. The President was pleased. He could get rid of them then. And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly that was all it would cost to start a university. She told him that they would start their own university it he could agree. Her husband nodded.
The President’s face sank in confusion and in great doubt. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away.They travelled to Palo Alto in California. There they established the Stanford university that bears their name. It is a memorial to their son whom Harvard no longer cared about.
Source:- wisdom montly digest
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