On the name "Marvin"

The first time I was allowed to go out to do a volunteer job during the time when I was hospitalized, I elected to do hospital work. Since the only hospital that would accept volunteers from a mental hospital was the local Jewish hospital, I went there and volunteered, both as a patient and after hospitalization for almost a year.

I enjoyed it tremendously and the ladies there were most kind to me, some of them almost treating me as a daughter. They gave me all sorts of pep talks and particularly admired my skills at being able to get the cranky mimeograph machine to work any day of the week. I never got the feeling that the fact that I had been in "hospital" and was Christian to boot made any difference to any of them. One lady always made a fuss over my blond wavy hair. How she wished her daughter could have that......naturally, though, of course!

After a year, I approached the Christian hospital where I had been a patient suffering from pneumonia and ear infections when I was a child of five. I got my boss at the Jewish hospital to write a recommendation which evidently was glowing.

The director of volunteers at the Christian hospital asked me with a slight frown, "Why do you want to come here?"

I looked at her for a moment and a thought began to form in my mind. "I wanted to be among my own people". She stared at me for a long moment and the long moment began to be uncomfortable. Finally, I said, "My last name is "Marvin" but I'm not Jewish. My mother served on the Women's Auxilliary Board here for many years."

A tremendous look of relief appeared on her face as well as a huge smile. "How wonderful! When would you like to start work?"