Phone me when you have the birth certificate. Do you want me to drive you to the Co. office where you pick it up – or elsewhere.
Dearest Patricia:
First my thanks for the snapshot of you and me standing together in front of your apartment. It caught you at your best and I seem to have been in good shape too – with the beautiful tie you selected for me at the S.F. airport showing strongly. Keep your eyes open for other ties that please you & look well on me (the two are synonymous) for any day I expect to be with you I’ll wear one of them – I keep them for the purpose. I felt especially good the day that photo was taken – because you asked me to stand with you and you put your arm around me as the only natural thing to do – and – as I had had several emotional reverses – as I have tried to tell you in the preceding few days – This put everything to rights. I knew then that beyond doubt – you felt that I belonged. I hope that feeling will never change. Just give me indications from time to time as you’ve been doing as to what you expect of me – let me do things for you & with you as much as possible like taking your player back to Alco – P. – and let me spend a little time informally with you in your apt. or mine.
I had to say that first because I so prize the picture and the little note – the testimonial of faith that accompanied it.
However, I’ve just listened to a Louis? talk from KPFA by Felix Greene, a man born a British – now an American – about the interplay between though in Britain the U.S., Soviet Russia, and Red China – Greene travels a great deal – his ideas seem to be sought by many social & political leaders - and educational. He has spent much time in Russia & China as well as Britain & the U.S. He is a lively speaker & one of the persons who must be listened to by Americans if the American world is not to collapse inward in a few years. He is an animated & attention holding speaker. We must get him to talk at San Jose State sometime in the fall. His home base is Palo Alto and I’m going to try to make contact with him sometime soon – or as soon as possible & start the wheels rolling. It doesn’t matter under whose auspices he comes as long as his coming can be adequately publicized & he can be heard! You’d be excited if you’d heard his talk. I’d rather have him come under (or at least with joint sponsorship) some student group: SEE – if it can be cleared of petty political implications – through Ron. – If you still feel that he the best avenue – or some other and I’ll do all I can through Spartan Daily, Campus Digest and the City Papers – He should have a [page 2] maximum possible audience!!!!
You’ve said very little to me about Ron lately – you’ll have to bring me up to date – please keep me in your confidence – It will be life or death to me – and remember what I’ve repeatedly told you “You can trust me utterly.” I mean it and I’ll not break your confidence. You will be strengthened & made more secure in your own feelings, too, if you can consider me a true confidant & friend & not (which I’m sure you don’t though others may) just a source of advice about mundane things or of financial help – which is between you and me – You are a source of great pride and uplift to me also. I’m proud to be Godfather – a happy term that is easily understood – but I’m proud most of your strength & beauty as a person & a personality and of your achievements scholastically.
Also – I’m beginning to get excited about my proposed program of writing and I was much encouraged by Dr. Rumsfeld’s saying that in most respects I seem to have improved a great deal. Now I’m beginning to think that maybe I can last a number of years – long enough to get the major part at least of all my envisioned projects completed – together perhaps with you and your mom on a combined effort to get her story into print. It might well bring her enough income to ease the next 10-15 years for her while the little brothers are growing up – but it will have to be good and that will take all three of us – but if I am to have the strength & to grow stronger, who knows – maybe I’ll last another 20 years & see you completely successful in some field.
If I’m better, we can begin with a few days of camping this summer & with some other activities. Then I’ll “break my figurative back” for a chance to go to Europe with you – (in summer of 1966?) The possibility takes my breath.
Anyway – believer or not – God Bless you – in everything you do, for I’ll be helping in any way I can.
Think over the schedule I gave you yesterday – so we can accomplish such of it as is possible. On Thurs. June 10, I’ll be giving my Philos. Of Sci. Test from 10-12:20 so if we look at suits on that day it should be in the P.M. – Will you have the time? And do I still get the chance to hear you read any Shakespeare? “Marriage Italian Style” is back in town at the little Gay Theater but I don’t suppose we can spare the time. – Anyway, Do we have one more shopping date?
Much love – Carl.
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Collection (SJSU)
