[Oe List ...] A Very Brief Collegium

[Myung-Hee Hur via OE]

Dear Gordon,
I have very fond memories of you and Roxana. You are an exemplar and a fine human-being.
You were always courteous and kind to me when I frequented the Taipei House for fundraising.
In 1983 during my usual visit to the Taipei House,  Roxana asked me if I could treat you all to a restaurant. Somehow you knew that the people in Development had more money than usual. Yes, I always had more money than my monthly stipend while I was on fundraising. I also got to keep that money too.
The place you wanted to go was McDonald's (the fast-food restaurant).  McDonald's had  just opened its first store in Taipei. There was a long line at the restaurant with people waiting to get in. We waited quite a while. However, the long wait was worthwhile. I will never forget the look of contentment on your face, as you relished your hamburger at McDonald's.
Joe says that you are one of the few fellow pipe men that he knows. Are you still getting your tobacco from that Minnesota pipe shop? He also says you were the only one to appreciate it when he would recite a verse by Robert Herrick. Joe is currently a full-time faculty member of English at Sacred Heart University. His favorite authors to teach are Shakespeare and Dante. He still quotes Robert Herrick, and still smokes a pipe.  And I am still traveling to Hong Kong on business.                 I thank you for being an exemplary presence in my life.
You are not alone.
Fondly,Myung-Hee (and Joe too)


Sent from my iPad


On Sep 4, 2015, at 12:19 AM, Gordon Harper via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:


Beloved Colleagues --
Few of us, as the end of life approaches, get the chance to speak directly to anything like our whole community.  It appears that I have that opportunity, and I’m taking advantage of it.
Last week, after two months of medical testing to find out what had suddenly landed on me and drained me of my strength and usual energy, Roxana and I got the diagnosis.  It’s a rare form of fairly fast moving (typically two months to two years) leukemia, called CMML.  There’s little to be done to treat it, especially in someone my age (about to be 79). I'm getting good medical care and have a fine local support community here in Seattle.
First of all, I want you all to know that I am at peace with this, as is Roxana.  My life--in good part because of you--has been rich, crazy, wonder-filled and a unique and unrepeatable journey with the Mystery. And no one knows better than you and I how to celebrate both our being here and the completion of our journeys.
I am taking this rare chance to express to all of you how much you’ve meant to me over the years--as the amazing collection of individual nobodies we are that rode out like the Man of La Mancha to throw our beings into the challenge of bending history.  More than that, you all contributed your own weird and special gifts, neuroses and idiosyncrasies to the makeup of our corporate life and community, all over the world.  Without you, there’d never have been such a community; so thank you, thank you, thank you.  
I hope to be able to chat with at least some of you individually or collectively over the time remaining to me, through one of the dizzying array of communication tools at hand today, and give you a little abuse. (What else would you expect from me? And please--do return the favor.) We’ll see how things work out.  In the meantime, this note will have to stand for my salute to all of you, my heartfelt gratitude for your having been and continuing to be who you are and for that remarkable webbing and mission that connects us.
 The peace of God is yours this day --
Gordon  


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