Letter from George C. Gardner, Springfield, Mass., to Alfred E. Stearns, November 15, 1922 (regarding Tommy Liang)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from George C. Gardner, Springfield, Mass., to Alfred E. Stearns, November 15, 1922 (regarding Tommy Liang)
Subject
Letter from George C. Gardner, Springfield, Mass., to Alfred E. Stearns, November 15, 1922 (regarding Tommy Liang)
Transcription
My dear Dr. Stearns;
I am very glad indeed to have your letter of November 9th, and I only regret that I did not at the time, write directly to you, but as I have not the honor of knowing you personally and did not remember hearing Liang speak of you directly, I took the more usual and formal course in writing Andover.
Liang wrote me early in the summer asking if I would be willing to act as guardian for Tommy and his sister Grace, and later suggested that Tommy round out his secondary education at the Technical High School in this city, where in the past a half dozen boys, young friends or relatives of Liang and Tong Shiu Yi, over whom my father and I exercised a guardianship, had received their education,-and whence they had gone to various technical schools and colleges. So, I took no steps toward placing Tommy anywhere else until it appeared, after talking with the Principal of the school here and watching his career for a couple of weeks, that a prep school was the place for him.
I knew Liang’s strong predilection for Andover and wrote accordingly, and feeding that Andover might be unable to take him, also asked my son-in-law, Myron Williams, who is one of the instructors at Exeter, if it could be arranged for Tommy's reception there, in case he could not go to Andover. Hence the situation.
As you can readily understand, I appreciate most fully your very generous offer and in spite of the fact that it might be unfortunate to unsettle Tommy's career by a shift at this time or in the near future, the unusual advantages of such a change through your offer, are so evident that my only hesitation is on account of the financial question involved.
While Liang is relatively wealthy, he has I know, a large demand upon his exchequer, not only for his own family, but through his feeling, common to all the Chinese of his age and station, of responsibility toward many others not so fortunate, related in some way to him, and unless some arrangement could be made with Dr. Perry, whereby his fees already paid and presumably to be paid could be rebated, I should hesitate to make the change this school year. If, however, you think this can be done, I most heartily approve of it. Let me thank you again for writing so fully in the matter.
Liang and his cousin Tong came to my father in the seventies; we grew up together as youngsters during the period that they were here and Liang has stayed with me more or less on his later visits to this country, so that I am delighted to feel that his youngest child may have the opportunity of getting his schooling with you and the more keenly so if he may have the benefit of your personal influence.
Yours very truly,
I am very glad indeed to have your letter of November 9th, and I only regret that I did not at the time, write directly to you, but as I have not the honor of knowing you personally and did not remember hearing Liang speak of you directly, I took the more usual and formal course in writing Andover.
Liang wrote me early in the summer asking if I would be willing to act as guardian for Tommy and his sister Grace, and later suggested that Tommy round out his secondary education at the Technical High School in this city, where in the past a half dozen boys, young friends or relatives of Liang and Tong Shiu Yi, over whom my father and I exercised a guardianship, had received their education,-and whence they had gone to various technical schools and colleges. So, I took no steps toward placing Tommy anywhere else until it appeared, after talking with the Principal of the school here and watching his career for a couple of weeks, that a prep school was the place for him.
I knew Liang’s strong predilection for Andover and wrote accordingly, and feeding that Andover might be unable to take him, also asked my son-in-law, Myron Williams, who is one of the instructors at Exeter, if it could be arranged for Tommy's reception there, in case he could not go to Andover. Hence the situation.
As you can readily understand, I appreciate most fully your very generous offer and in spite of the fact that it might be unfortunate to unsettle Tommy's career by a shift at this time or in the near future, the unusual advantages of such a change through your offer, are so evident that my only hesitation is on account of the financial question involved.
While Liang is relatively wealthy, he has I know, a large demand upon his exchequer, not only for his own family, but through his feeling, common to all the Chinese of his age and station, of responsibility toward many others not so fortunate, related in some way to him, and unless some arrangement could be made with Dr. Perry, whereby his fees already paid and presumably to be paid could be rebated, I should hesitate to make the change this school year. If, however, you think this can be done, I most heartily approve of it. Let me thank you again for writing so fully in the matter.
Liang and his cousin Tong came to my father in the seventies; we grew up together as youngsters during the period that they were here and Liang has stayed with me more or less on his later visits to this country, so that I am delighted to feel that his youngest child may have the opportunity of getting his schooling with you and the more keenly so if he may have the benefit of your personal influence.
Yours very truly,
Creator
George C. Gardner
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
November 15, 1922
Rights
All Rights Reserved by Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence