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The Lie Piebrary is a collection of factually inaccurate viral emails that are currently in circulation. Rest assured, if you find it in the Lie Piebrary, it is demonstrably false. But don't take our word for it--check it yourself!
| The Gingham Dress (Humble beginnings for Stanford University) |
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Lie Pie Title: THE GINGHAM DRESS (Humble beginnings for Stanford University)
WATCH YOUR STEP: STEAMING VIRAL EMAIL B.S. STARTS HERE 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 & 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 uni versity 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 >> >> 'People will forget what you said. >> People will forget what you did.' >> But----people will never forget how you made them feel!
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