UMUC - European Division - Mason G Daly - Tokyo farewell to staff - May 1961 - Tokyo

Asia;Hoffmann, RosemaryTokyo farewell to staff May 61 Four years ago when the Heidelberg staff said sayonara I made a little speech that was hard to make, as this one will be. That time I was fortified with Rhine-wine, something I like as much, but no more than sake. I managed to express only a little that I wanted to say to my associates in Heidelberg. I do remember that I said we hoped to come back; that we were leaving with two children and that we planned to have two more in Japan. Well we are going back to Heidelberg, and we have added Chimi and Chiro – as promised. Let me make it very clear tonight. We will not be adding two more children in Heidelberg or elsewhere. We have enough. We ill hope very much to come back to Tokyo some day, and I want you all to join us in that hope. I also hope the world will continue to get smaller (and I hope, safer), and that many of you will in the future get to travel to the United States and to Europe, and in that travel find the Dalys. We sincerely hope to keep some of the Japanese language, songs, and dances alive in our children, and with the great good help of Takamizawa-san, we may just do that. We are taking a lot of Japan with us. In our children. In their names. In our possessions. In our friends. In our memories. Most of all in our memories. It is remarkable to think back over the four years that we have been here with you. Our little office staff (that then had only Heather, Ito, and Ted [Michele, Serena, & Hannah] of those still with us) had grown and grown. We have all worked hard together, but we have worked well. We have all been proud of this American university, and we have done some remarkable things together. That pride and that work and accomplishment will go on. You are very lucky people, to work and live in Tokyo, a very great city. I trust you will miss the Dalys in many ways, I know I will miss Takamazawa-san. But your good work will go on. You already know and respect hour honchos, and the new one coming – Dr. Dellen – you will like and admire. I want you to occasionally think of me with the German staff in Heidelberg. There I will be working with people whose names include Hans, Edgar, Hilda, Gertie, Helmut, Ingrid. They do the same work you do, and they are also wonderful to work with. But they will never replace you in my respect or affection. I can assure you Heidelberg will never replace Tokyo. And the European Division will never keep me too busy to want to know how the Far East Division is making out and how all of you are. In Deutschland wir sagen, vielen dank, und auf wiedersehen. Like sayonara, auf widersehen means until we see each other again