Name/Title
Letter from R. D. Lilley to Ed Block, 1980Entry/Object ID
2021.05.02Tags
Possible inaccurate detailsDescription
Letter to Ed Block presenting the signed copy of "The Bell Telephone System" by Arthur W. PageAcquisition
Accession
2021.05Source or Donor
Stephen BlockAcquisition Method
GiftLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
LetterNomenclature Primary Object Term
CorrespondenceNomenclature Sub-Class
Other DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsLegacy Lexicon
Object Name
correspondenceLetter Details
Letter Date
Nov 18, 1980Postmark
Postmark Place
State/Province
New JerseyCountry
United StatesContinent
North AmericaTranscription
Transcription
Dear Ed:Herewith is Arthur Page's book inscribed to Leroy Wilson, which I discussed with you too long ago, I apologize for the delay but retirement and its advantages is a thief of time and the will. Seriously, I wanted to find the time to convey to you a few words about its background.This book was given to me by Mrs. Henry Wujak, the wife of a prominent surgeon in New Jersey who bought Leroy Wilson's house in Short Hills after his death. After some years when the Wujaks sold their house to move to Florida, Mrs. Wujak encountered the book in the clearout phase and thought of me. She undoubtedly did this because our daughter Meg is married to their son John.I have always thought that the history of personalities in a corporation is valuable if not overdone and this whole thing reminds me of some of my recollection about Leroy Wilson. I know that your public relations professionals need no reminding about Arthur Page.Wilson became president of AT&T at what for then was a young age and as a somewhat unexpected choice. When named president of AT&T, he was a resident of a very modest home in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. The home was so modest that I felt, as a young engineer for Western Electric, I was living about as well as Leroy Wilson. I confess I was not sure I was inspired by his modesty or frightened by what I thought he could do for himself that what I considered to be an elevated level. He became famous in Glen Ridge on the day his election was announced by carrying out his duties as a reserve motorcycle policeman. On that evening, he pursued a speeder on Ridgewood Avenue and upon handing the ticket to the perpetrator, was asked if he was a man who was named president of AT&T on that day. When he said yes, the speeder said he wasn't going to protest the ticket because he wanted to save it and frame it. I suppose it still is framed somewhere in Glen Ridge.Wilson's modest living did not last long after he became president because he bought a fine home in Short Hills and it is from that home that I received this book. I transmit it to you because of the thoughtfulness of a lady who thought it would interest us in the Bell System and I hope it has some application in the company's historical activities. Best regards, R. D. LilleyTranscriber
Barry SpectorLocation
Box
4Shelf
Storage ShelfRoom
Exhibit RoomGeneral Notes
Note
Original; stamped on back: Received-16 Nov. 20, 1980 E. M. Block's office A. T. & T. Co.;Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
May 18, 2021Updated By
jade@prmuseum.orgUpdate Date
April 30, 2025