I want to go back a little bit and talk about Ruth. Ruth was a nursing student at Cornell, started in the same year I started in medicine. She'd been at Mount Holyoke. She, in retrospect, wishes she had gone to medical school, but her parents at that time, in 1960, did not think medicine was a profession for women, thought she'd be better off as a nurse. Because she had real interest and abilities in health and was wonderful with people.
Anyhow, we met at Cornell. She was dating my roommate, which I thought was a terrible mistake. But we got to be good friends. We bought lunch together and ate at Olin Hall, which was the dorm at Cornell. We began going out for lunch and we began to date, and then we got romantically involved. I proposed at the restaurant, at Little Italy. I said to the waiter, 'We have to leave for a half hour, go outside.' He said, 'I can't let you go.' I said, 'Here, keep my watch for insurance.' So, we did, and I proposed. She said, 'Okay, if my parents approve.'
We married during my return to medical school and moved into the Olin Hall. My parents said, 'Gerry, what if Ruth becomes pregnant and you're still in school, both of you?' I said, 'Don't be ridiculous.' She got pregnant on our honeymoon. And it was not easy, for her certainly, but she spent a good part of her senior year in nursing school back at her parents' place. Which, by the way, the house we're living in now is that house, where we were married 60 years ago. Rural, we love it. And she had a bit of time, we were finished with school in New York, we had two children, our daughter and son. And Ruth had to carry them both up five flights of stairs because I was very busy and couldn't do that.
But after that, we decided to get away, and went to Seattle, which was a wonderful experience. It's known for its rain, but it should be known for its sunshine and beauty, which is most of the time. And its views of Mount Rainier and its outdoor activities and a lot of skiing.