توقف قطار كان يُقِلُّ زوجين يرتديان ملابس بسيطة جدا.. وذلك في إحدى المحطات في مدينة [ بوسطن ] الأمريكية..
أما الزوجة فكانت ترتدي ثوبا قطنيا.. بينما كان يرتدي الزوج ثوبا متواضعا صنعه بيديه..
وبخطوات خجلة توجه الزوجان مباشرة إلى مكتب رئيس جامعة [ هارفارد ].. ولم يكونا قد حصلا على موعد مسبق..
فما كان من مديرة مكتب رئيس الجامعة إلا أن قالت للزوجين: " الرئيس مشغول جدا ولن يستطيع مقابلتكما في الوقت الحالي " !
ولكن سرعان ما تلقت رد السيدة الريفية قائلة بثقة: " لا بأس.. سوف ننتظره ".
وظل الزوجان ينتظران لساعات طويلة أهملتهما خلالها السكرتيرة تماما على أمل أن يفقدا الأمل والحماس البادي على وجهيهما علهما ينصرفان..
ولكن هيهات.. فعلى ما يبدو أنهما قد حضرا لأمر مهم جدا..
وهكذا ظلا ينتظران طوال الوقت.. حتى إن السكرتيرة ملت من انتظارهما..
فقررت الدخول على مكتب رئيس الجامعة ومقاطعة اجتماعه.. ورجته أن يقابل الزوجين العجوزين لبضع دقائق لعلهما يرحلان.
هز الرئيس رأسه غاضبا.. وبدت عليه علامات الاستياء.. فمن هم في مركزه لا يجدون وقتا لمقابلة إلا علية القوم.. وحتى بأخذ إذن مسبق للمقابلة..
فضلا عن أنه يكره الثياب القطنية الرثة.. وكل من هم في هيئة الفلاحين..
لكنه في ختام الأمر وافق على رؤيتهما لبضع دقائق لكي يضطرا للرحيل.
وعندما دخل الزوجان مكتب الرئيس قالت له السيدة العجوز:
" لقد كان لي ابن سبق وأن درس في هذه الجامعة.. [ جامعة هارفارد ] لمدة عام لكنه توفى في حادث.. وبما أنه كان سعيدا خلال الفترة التي قضاها في هذه الجامعة العريقة.. فقد قررت أنا وزوجي تقديم تبرع للجامعة لتخليد اسم ابننا ".
لم يكترث رئيس الجامعة كثيرا لما قالته العجوز بل رد بخشونة:
" سيدتي.. لا يمكننا أن نقيم مبنى.. ونخلد ذكرى كل من درس في " هارفارد " ثم توفى.. وإلا تحولت الجامعة إلى غابة من المباني والنصب التذكارية ".
وهنا ردت السيدة بثقة: " نحن لا نرغب في وضع تمثال.. بل نريد أن نهب فقط مبنى يحمل اسمه لجامعة " هارفارد " !!
لم يلق هذا الحديث أي صدى في نفس رئيس الجامعة.. وبدأ صدره يضيق بهذه المقابلة.. ثم إنه رمق بعينين غاضبتين ذلك الثوب القطني والبذلة المتهالكة ورد بسخرية:
" هل لديكما فكرة كم يكلف بناء مثل هذا المبنى ؟! لقد كلفتنا مباني الجامعة ما يربو على سبعة ونصف مليون دولار " !!
خيم الصمت على المكان.. ظن خلالها رئيس جامعة [ هارفارد ] أنه كسب المعركة الجدلية.. وجشر الزوجين ما يعني أنهما سينصرفان الآن..
إلا أن المرأة استدارت وقالت لزوجها:
" سيد [ ستانفورد ] ما دامت هذه هي تكلفة إنشاء جامعة كاملة.. فلماذا لا ننشئ جامعة جديدة تحمل اسم ابننا " ؟!
فهز الزوج رأسه موافقا.. ثم غادرا !!
إنهما الزوجان [ ليلند ستانفورد ] و [ جين ستانفورد ]..
غادرا وسط ذهول وخيبة رئيس جامعة [ هارفارد ]..
ثم إنهما سافرا بعد هذا المشهد إلى كاليفورنيا.. وأسسا جامعة ستانفورد العريقة..
والتي ما زالت تحمل اسم عائلتهما وتخلد ذكرى ابنهما الذي لم يكن يساوي شيئا عند رئيس جامعة [ هارفارد ].. وقد حدث هذا عام 1884م
حكمة ذهبية:
" من المهم دائما أن نسمع.. وإذا سمعنا أن نفهم ونصغي.. وسواء سمعنا أم لا.. فمن المهم أن لا نحكم على الناس من مظهرهم وملابسهم ولكنتهم وطريقة كلامهم ".
: " الناس بجوهرهم لا بمظهرهم ".
حقاً: لا تحكم على الكتاب من شكل غلافه
لا تنظر وتحكم على الناس كما تراهم عيناك ..
قصة حقيقية رواها "مالكوم فوربز" ومازالت أسماء عائلة "ستانفورد" منقوشة في ساحات ومباني الجامعة
" The Stanford Story "
This is a true story of the Founders of Stanford University
And now for the rest of the story.........
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's outer office at Harvard.
The secretary could see that the people were not from Boston, 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.
You can't judge a book by the cover....
Don't look at people with your eyes....
Look at them with your heart...
This is a true story of the Founders of Stanford University
And now for the rest of the story.........
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's outer office at Harvard.
The secretary could see that the people were not from Boston, 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.
You can't judge a book by the cover....
Don't look at people with your eyes....
Look at them with your heart...
