Letters from Alvina Krause: December 1, 1975 and January 31 1976

Context
Self-explanatory.

Letter (December 1, 1975)
David,
The doctor insists that Lucy is recovering -- It is slow, but it is recovery. When she will be able to go home he can't say, but she will to home! And that starts contemplation of a future. Bloomsburg will be our abiding place. No more travelling. And so I have been thinking perhaps of resuming acting classes again -- not for a few months, but eventually. But I would want students who could be of service to us. Give us six to eight hours of service in return for lessons. Reasonable? Lucy will be unable to drive her car. Is there someone wanting acting lessons who could drive our Cadillac as we required transportation, shopping, etc. Someone who could, and would, do yard work. This is all speculative. Until we take Lucy home I can't tell how my time may be occupied. But perhaps you could survey the scene from your angle --
Dean Wood's [Dean 1972-1988 -- DD] elaborate alumni appeal amuses me ironically. Dean McBurney said "Alumni will not run my school" and proceeded effectively to destroy all Dennis [Dean Ralph Dennis 1913-1942 -- DD] alumni relations. Now Dean Wood sounds a trumpet call --

A.K.

****

Letter (January 31, 1976)
Dear David,
I wish you could share the beauty of your flowers with me! They are lovely. The container is a glass basket, faintly gold at the bottom, intensifying to a soft gold-red at the top. Your small, delicate red roses are opening slowly surrounded by the soft gold yellow of -- I forget the name of the lovely plumes. Small carnations tinted red and soft gold hold them all together. It sits on our dining table and Lucy shares my pleasure! Thank you!
The doctor says Lucy's progress is good. She, of course, is impatient. She hates doing nothing and I am not clever enough to think of important things to do. She scoffs at "busy work" and frets that I do too much. Life is complicated by the fact that the doctor says "No red meat"! She dislikes fish and chicken and turkey get pretty tiresome. So what am I going to do? How long will she be content with soup! A further complication: her doctor is leaving Geisinger Hospital. She would not be here today if he had not taken over. The head of the neurological clinic said "She is too old. Nothing can be done." And Dr. Thomas took over. Now he is leaving. He has not decided where he is going. To Arizona temporarily. I finally blurted out "Why, why are you going?" He continued writing for a while, continued testing Lucy for several minutes then looked me straight in the eye and quietly said "For ethical reasons". I gulped -- hard. I was back at NU. McBurney, New Dean, was saying to me "You raised a question in faculty meeting regarding a proposition I had made. I consider questioning your Dean grounds for dismissal. Keep that in mind in future." I considered resigning, thought better of it, decided to go my way alone, but to fight him in my way. Now I meet that same thing in Geisinger Hospital! Dr. Thomas was quietly telling me that in the clinic where his wife works 80% of the operations performed are unnecessary! They even leave patients in an impaired psychological state. So for ethical reasons he is leaving! Humanity, what price humanity! -- See that your teaching is rooted in humanity!

A.K.