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March 21: Mr. He arrived this afternoon at Milwaukee. Mary Louise and Dan Meissner met him at the airport and within an hour he was settling into his new room? a teenage girl (Michelle) sanctum teeming with photos, posters, magazine ads and knickknacks. Though he never commented on his new surroundings, Mr. He spent a good deal of time scrutinizing the contents. Since his time in Milwaukee was short, Mr. He insisted on immediately arranging his itinerary for the next day. |
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| Dan casually wrote down: lide presentation at Carthage College at 11:00am; Lunch; Second slide presentation at 1:15pm; Casual talk with students at 2:30pm.? Mr. He was not satisfied and Mary Louise took over. Together, they worked out a detailed schedule starting with wake-up, breakfast and departure, and ending with evening meetings and meals. After a simple meal of noodles and hot dogs, Mr. He settled down to inscribe messages in his books and to rehearse his presentation. |
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March 22: Mr. He and Dan drove from Milwaukee to Carthage College in the city of Kenosha (about an hour south of Milwaukee.) After making last minute adjustments and preparations, Chris Renaud, Director of the Heritage program at Carthage, introduced Mr. He to the approximately 100 students, faculty, staff and local reporters in attendance. All were fascinated by his slide presentation and descriptions of family, life and politics in China. Following the presentation, Professor Renaud hosted a lunch for selected faculty and students in the Presidents room of the College. |
| Keeping to a tight schedule, Mr. He then repeated his slide presentation to an audience of about fifty students. And finally, he chatted with five students of Dan Modern China course who had just finished reading Mr. China's Son. These students were particularly impressed with meeting Mr. He, and took advantage of the opportunity to ask him questions about particular events in his book. After this exhausting day of meetings and talks, Mr. He took a nice xiuxi (nap) on the drive back to Milwaukee. |
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That afternoon, after picking up daughter Lisa from elementary school and Mary Louise from the UW-Milwaukee, they all attended Michelle high school track meet. Later that evening, Mr. He old friends Dave and Sarah Douglas dropped by to exchange gifts and stories. Finally, as the rest of the household was getting ready for bed, Mr. He sat down at the diningroom table to begin inscribing notes to faculty and students who had purchased his book. |
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March 23: A day of relaxation and sightseeing, starting with a tour of a nearby public elementary school. Mr. He was interested particularly in the modern facilities of this school, and the streamlining of physically and mentally handicapped students with traditional students. |
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He arrated tour of the building, pointing out particulars of the library and lunchroom, and noting the rows of lockers and cleanliness of the halls. They next took a tour of the Milwaukee Natural Museum, where Mr. He was fascinated by the realistic displays of battling dinosaurs, recreations of the streets of old Milwaukee, and dioramas of Native American Indians. He was least interested in the quite unique displays of Chinese and Japanese history. |
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They next stopped at a Donut shop for Mr. He initial sampling of an American doughnut. He preferred the raspberry-filled over the Boston creme. That evening, Mr. He made a video tour of the house. Pointing out the overabundance of toys and the over-stocked cupboards. He then put on a short show for the family? |
| Marching around the
living room and singing old Christian hymns.
His face shone with enthusiasm and enjoyment.
Far too soon, it was time for dinner and packing.
Around 5:00pm, Dan and Lisa drove him the two hours to DuPage, IL
to meet his next host, Ellen Johnson.Although his stay in Milwaukee was all too brief,
it certainly was a most memorable occasion for our family and all those
whom Mr. He met.
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A Few More Words Let me take this opportunity to say that my family and I thoroughly enjoyed having Mr. He stay at our home. After he had settled down, arranged his schedule, and organized his talk, he seemed to relax and have a good time. Many students enjoyed his talks at Carthage College, and my own students learned a great deal about China from his book and his private chat with them. They will remember for a long time what he told them of his life. My family and I enjoyed getting to know Mr. He better. I think he felt very comfortable in our house, and enjoyed looking through all the rooms -- and even the cupboards! In the evening before he left, he sang several old Christian hymns, and when he sang, his face was bright and happy. We were very sorry to see him leave. When we drove him to Ellen's house in DuPage and finally waved goodby, both my daughter Lisa and I wanted to stop the car, put him back inside, and bring him back to Milwaukee! |
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