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An excellent example of the stuff that formed the basis of Ruth’s dependence on mom involves G eorge Gaylord Simpson, a man I never met, but whose work I am familiar with. It was George who estimated, on the basis of the known fossil record at the time, the number of species extant at the present time, a few assumptions, and the passage of eons, that the total number of species alive today represented something like 8% of the total number that have ever lived on this earth.
That sticks in my mind because it was a shock, an enormous shock, to realize that. Do you see the implications? What the concept did was put the Sierra Club and allied Greenies into perspective, and relegated them to the sandbox in the back room for wayward children who are determined to act out - simply for the attention they receive, not because they really have something meaningful to contribute to the common discourse. Dr. Simpson made it clear that every specie is going to die at some point in time - with, or without, the assistance of man- so get over it is how I view the deal today. Oh, I don’t favor thoughtless destruction of habitats, but I sure as h--- don’t think it reasonable for the snail darter to have the extraordinarily powerful influence it had on things. The Sierra Club et al seem to think that if one specie can be saved that it will save another, that the inexorable destruction of species, the relentless turnover of species, can be halted. Poppycock. Bunch of self-righteous prigs, whiners, cry babies who think they are so noble. Nature is nature and “tooth and claw” is the law that governs it all. Together with inexorable changes in habitat, topography and climate, every specie is destined to become extinct. So “Get Over It Sierra Club.”
Now I’ll tell you why mom was such a remarkable person in that challenging settings with rich people, famous people, and powerful personalities.
Any way, this is the man himself who is the subject of this story, the same that I told in an earlier volume but which I could not find this morning in the 2,000+ pages of stuff. You poor kids..... I’ll tell the story again -somewhat differently of course- in this context because this is when it actually happened. This is how Ruth came to rely on mom to bail her out sometimes in her home during social events.
Dr. Simpson was a crusty old goat with hide like a porcupine, who spoke his mind to the extent that he was carefully left to his own devices by those tender, less secure, younger personalities who feared causing umbrage, intentionally or not, consequently being skewered by ol’ George. He had a way with words that apparently made it real clear what he had on his mind about ‘you.
Ruth had one of her fine parties going on at Avon Street this evening, and in addition to the MCZ staff -which obviously included the Romers, the Lewis’, Jensens, Don Baird, Nelda Wright, Dick Van Frank, Tilly Edinger, Liska Deichmann, etc- there were a few ‘visiting firemen’ as they were termed by the MCZ staff. Dr. Simpson was one of them this evening.
The Romer home was a gracious, large one with easy chairs and couches spread around the living room and hallways where people could congregate and chat. Mom and dad arrived early as usual so that mom could help Ruth complete setting things up and adding finishing touches to the tables. As the evening progressed, mom noticed one unfamiliar guest who sat by himself in an easy chair. People acknowledged him with a nod of the head as they walked past but none did more than welcome him or comment on the weather. Mom was a natural born rescuer, even when she didn’t always know the depth she was jumping into. That’s the measure of a hero, isn’t it.
Well, she saw this man by himself and could tell that while people acknowledged him, no one would engage him in conversation. Not even dad ventured over, rather he held forth in some other corner of the room. Mom was not so much sympathetic as curious I suppose about this man who didn’t look mean or angry. She went up to him, introduced herself and started asking him about himself. He responded pleasantly, she took a chair and spent the evening with him. They got food from the table and had a grand time getting acquainted.
When the evening was over, Ruth took mom aside and thanked her profusely for taking care of that problem. Mom didn’t understand. A problem? Yes, Ruth said. Do you know who that man was? Mom said that yes, she had learned his name when she introduced herself. Ruth asked if she knew his reputation. Mom admitted that she didn’t whereupon Ruth explained that George Gaylord Simpson’s acerbic tongue intimidated people so people feared and avoided him, which would have left him alone in the corner for the evening. This is the type of thing mom did that gave Ruth confidence in her. They stayed in touch until the time of her death in 1992, 31 years after they had left MCZ.
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