Regarding the July 23 story titled “Taking care of Nellie”: What a marvelous story of a promise made 50 years ago by corporate giant, Mr. Eli Lilly, Jr., whose wife became deathly ill of a then-incurable disease. He treated volunteers with the same disease and promised them free medical care for the remainder of their lives.
And now there’s Nellie, 97 years young, having free health care from age 27 to 97 along with three other survivors. She’s alive and kicking, all because a man kept his word. There was nothing in writing – few probably knew. A 50-year promise was kept. That’s success, that’s class, that’s Mr. Eli Lilly, Jr. and that’s Nellie.
Then I wondered if any of the corporate robbers whose greed put thousands of people out of work, crushed lives and destroyed families might have read this story about Eli and Nellie on their way to their private island in their private jet and all of a sudden said, “My God, what have I done?” decided to give it all back, move into a small place on a small income and smile, knowing that what they have now was free all this time. Probably not.
Success and class; money has nothing to do with it.
Arlington
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