October 6, 1932 - Thursday

After my eight o’clock this morning I went to the dressmakers. Fooled around here ‘til lunch. But went up to the library after lunch. And after dinner studied again. George came over to study again.

George's letter home:

Dear Mother,

I am sorry that I will not be able to come home for the game, but you know that I certainly would if I could. This thing of living away from home and all it means is not the ideal situation by any means. I don’t know what my trouble is, but lots of people continually around me get on my nerves. I appreciate my fraternity and I think that it has given me many things quite worthwhile, but at the same time, I don’t seem to possess the same contentment of mind that I enjoyed before. There is no privacy, no quietness, no place that I may go and be myself. Well, I am to be here for some time yet, so I may as well reconcile myself to the fact.

There are several opportunities staring me in the face right now, and I am having a hard time deciding just what to do about them. Here is the dope, as well as I can present it to you in writing. I spoke to both of you about the possibility of my securing the appointment of Junior Weekend Chairman this spring, do you remember. Well I have it now, but it will not be made public until next spring and must be kept secret until then. That is an opportunity that I shall certainly accept. But this is what it opens up for me. The person who secures this appointment in each year is usually in a very good position to run for student body president. To run or not to run, that is the difficulty that I have to face. The advantages of being the student president of the University as I see it, are these: first, it will make me very well known to the faculty of the University, second, it will make me very well known to many of the business men of Portland, third, it will place me in a position to speak before many large groups of people all over Oregon, fourth, it will open up excellent opportunities for me to earn the rest of my way through school.

Now this is the present political situation upon the campus. All the powerful boys that I have had to contend against upon the campus, have either dropped out of school or have dropped out of the field of activities. All except one, and that one is Jimmy Ferguson at the Sigma Pi Tau house. Jimmy will be unable to run for the reason that the present Student Body President (Bob Hall) is a member of his fraternity --- that makes it impossible for Jimmy to run. Now, Jimmy and I are very good friends and we have worked side by side all through school at this thing; and of course, we are now trying to work things out to both of our advantage. All right, Jimmy realizes that he cannot run for the office of president of the school, but he does wish to run for that of Senior Class President. He will be able to do that, because he is to have the appointment of chairman for the Junior Prom, which will give him plenty of publicity. Not as much publicity as my appointment, however, and he feels that if I take Junior Week End and then do not continue on to something higher, I should not take it at all. He feels that if I should give it to him so that he will be able to have more publicity (you must realize that publicity is the main thing in gaining an office on the campus, as it is in any other place). Well, I feel that Jimmy is right, but at the same time I do not want to give up Junior Week End. If I should decide to run for student body President in the spring, everything would be all fixed. Jimmy could get his office without any trouble, and I could undoubtedly get mine too. We would both be satisfied, and most important, we would still be the friends that we are now.

I am not boasting, Mom and Pop, but Jim and I are really in a position now to grab the power of the campus, if we only will.

Now you may say, well why don’t you grab it. Well this is why. I am down here primarily to prepare myself for the law profession, and the doubt is present in my mind of whether I can handle both. I have talked to Bob Hall (the present president) and he tells me that it does not take more than one or two hours of his time a day, and that he finds it no handicap. I will have my own office in McArthur Court, my own desk, and all the quite that I desire for my studies.

Of course there is always the possibility that some dark horse will come into the field and beat me, but that is the chance that I must take, if I go into the thing at all.

Well folks, here I sit with my thumb in my mouth, so as to speak, and I just don’t know what to do. Please talk it over real seriously and tell me what you think of the whole matter.

My cold is still bothering me a lot, and it makes me very miserable, but I am trying to realize the truth. I am sure that it has no place in my being, and that error will soon be up the crick about forty miles or so from me without a paddle. It sure will be a tough predicament for him, but that is what he deserves.

There are a couple things that I need: my tennis shoes and some dresser tops for my room.

I hope my explanation of my situation hasn’t been too confusing.

Love, Brother