You just never know who you're speaking to...

[Melinda]

I thought this was neat :)

 

 

 

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 Harvardand probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.

 

"We'd like 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 you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave," she said to him!

 

He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and 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 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 buildings here 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 cost 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.

 

---- A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes

[Once]

Beautiful Melinda. Just beautiful.

Thank-you.

[hsmamainva]

Wow!!! What a story! I'd never heard that before!

 

Thanks for posting!

[cin]

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/stanford.asp

 

It is a great story, but not true.

 

Sorry:leaving:

[Tracey in TX]

Thank you for posting this! I'll be sure to pass this on the others, who have an opportunity to make a wise and kind first impression--which is everyone :)

[Mom-ninja.]

That story made this pregnant mama cry.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

This is a good reminder to treat others the way you would want to be treated! You just never know.

[nakitty]

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/stanford.asp

 

It is a great story, but not true.

 

Sorry:leaving:

 

you beat me to it...:lol:

[Melinda]

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/stanford.asp

 

It is a great story, but not true.

 

Sorry:leaving:

 

Sorry about that, never thought to check it out. Somebody sent it to me and I thought it was for real -- thanks for clearing that up!

[Once]

I think the wisdom still holds true. After all, one person I know I would not want to mistreat was born in a barn. ;)

[Remudamom]

Different version.

http://www.stanford.edu/about/history/

[Scarlett]

Here is a true one....:)

 

A man I know owns a furniture store in my city. He tells me this story.

 

When he was first out of college he came to work as a salesman in his father's furniture store. He and the older, experienced salesmen were on the floor one morning when out front a farm truck pulls up. A very dirty, covered in manure, real life farm truck. Out hops a dirty woman in overalls. As she is walking toward the entrance all the older men begin to groan and make themselves scarce and basically tell my friend, 'this is for you, the new kid.'

So he walks up to this customer and says, 'May I help you?'

 

"yes, you can!" she smiles! "I just got back from the sale barn. I sold my pigs and I'm spending it all on new furniture!" And from the pocket of the bib on her overall she pulls out a wad of cash...$3000. And 30 years ago, $3000 bought a whooooole lot of furniture.

 

My friend said he never. again. judged a person by their appearance.

[melmac]

:iagree:

 

 

This is a good reminder to treat others the way you would want to be treated! You just never know.