The Montserrat College of Art phone call

Last evening I received a call from a young lady who started with, “Hi, I’m ________, a student at the Montserrat College of Art, and I’m calling to thank you for your support. I’m not selling anything! I am just calling to thank you!” I just started to laugh! I knew she was being sincere, but she was reading that which she was asked to read, and it sounded just like those fake sales calls one often gets that are so annoying.

I just laughed. I apologized to her and assured her she was doing fine, it was just the non-sales pitch that had gotten to me. She than read a prepared statement that was well done but clearly you knew that she was reading. I laughed more! I apologized again, as I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, she was sweet.

She told me she was a transferred freshman and this was the first time she had called and I was the first person she had reached who was home. I explained that I was the former President of the College from 1989 until 1993. She said (not rehearsed) that she wasn’t even born at that time. I roared!

Fearing that she would think I was just a weirdo who made this stuff up, I told her that many of the folks still there were old friends of mine and I listed a few. Thankfully, some of them were still alive and she at least knew their names. I was vindicated.

We parted friends, and I enjoyed the rest of the evening, and I hope she did too. I know I’ll get called or asked for money again anyway, because if you give once, everyone expects you to give again, and besides, we do the same kind of thing, as do all charities.