Sunday, October 24, 2010

Elegy Written by a Vacant Lot; or, The Lament of Hans Morsbach (A Prose Poem)

posted by chicago pop


"There is a need to have sensible local citizens to have a good relationship with the University. I am not among them.
"

-- Hans Morsbach, October 24, 2010



From:
Hans Morsbach
Date: October 24, 2010 5:32:33 PM CDT
Subject: Re: [Good Neighbors] Anybody know anything about this?

I have been getting the invitation for years but have not been attending for a while. It is in the President's home and attended by folks from the University engaged in neighborhood matters and local citizens. There are fewer people I know than there used to be and I would probably feel like a stranger if I went. Somebody in the UfC's neighborhood staff has singled you out to be a significant citizen. The affair was more useful in the past when there were more UFC persons who cared about the neighborhood and lived in Hyde Park. I have a feeling that they have been replaced with folks who have a bean-counter mentality and like to convert old buildings, mess up the Point, and use the community garden as a building site. Some old UfC people working on neighborhood matters have left the Univisersity, some with bad feelings. I have been in the neighborhood for fifty years and have, at this time, no University contacts. I had lunch once with Lipinski and once with Sonya. I have no contact with anybody whom I know well enough to call and chat about neighborhood matters. I think the University is loosing its connection with local citizens. Somebody should point it out to President Zimmer. There is a need to have sensible local citizens to have a good relationship with the University. I am not among them.

On Sun, Oct 24, 2010 at 10:54 AM, XXXX wrote:

I also received this very tersely worded invitation and had already planned
to call the University on Monday to find out more about this event. I am on
at least three University mailing lists, and it would also be interesting to
find out which one is the source for sending me the invitation.

When I find out more about this event, I will let you know.

XXXX

----- Original Message -----
To: "goodneighbors"
Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2010 05:45
Subject: [Good Neighbors] Anybody know anything about this?


Dear Goodneighbors,

Came home last night to find an invitation from the "president of the U of
C"
inviting me to "a Reception in Recognition of Community Leadership". Has
anyone else gotten this? Who are we going to recognize? For what?

XXXX

5 comments:

David Farley said...

What is the point of this, other than you don't like Hans Morsbach and like to promulgate things that make him look silly? Shame on whoever forwarded this to you, and shame on you for posting it.

IHeartLenoxLohr said...

I was invited, too, though i don't think i fall into the category of bean-counter, point-hater, or community-garden-abuser. XXXX's comment about the invite being "tersely worded" is odd. it's an invitation, lacking any tone or implication as far as i can tell--actually it's probably the exact same as last year's invite (and the year before and before). my mother was right, some people NEED to complain, regardless of what about.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Morsbach does quite well making himself look silly without the help of others, David. None of us is perfect, but his e-mails and his letters to the Herald make less and less sense as time passes. Really, in all due respect to him, someone who cares about him should take him aside and quietly tell him to zip up his fly.

Lilithcat said...

In fairness, you ought to identify XXXX, as well.

Richard Gill said...

I have attended this event the two past years. Award recipients have mostly been people doing unsung work. Format has been a half hour or so of socializing/networking, a half hour or so of speeches and awards, and more socializing. Pretty good grazing-type food and drink. A nice event, IMO, as it recognizes good work in a large and in-person forum.