This is an interesting letter from Ralph Adams Cram to Dr. Lovett about a visit with sculptor John Angel to see the model of the state of William Marsh Rice that was soon to be installed on campus. The reference to Angel getting the seal wrong is absolutely characteristic of these fellows: a tremendous amount of thought went into the precise design of every aspect of Rice’s seal, flag, etc.
What really spoke to me here, though, is the last sentence. Like Mr. Angel I have been working very hard and want to go off at once on a short vacation. I’ll begin with a couple of days at the archives of the University of Wyoming which, as unlikely as it sounds, I believe will yield some good Rice material. If I find something irresistible I’ll post it right away but otherwise I won’t be back here until July 10.
Bonus: An unexpected and delightful gift from a friend arrived a couple of days ago. It’s a souvenir from the 1942 Navy Ball!
We thought it must have contained a bit of perfume but when we opened up the little card, we got this surprise:
I’m sure we’ve seen samples of Lovett’s handwriting before, but I was struck by the neatness and precision of his approval notation.
It was always the same. Always.
On a side note, a question. I noticed the first and fourth names on the top left of the Architects stationary the names Chester A Brown and John A Root. Is there any connection to the Brown and Root of Houston’s more recent history?
I suspect that’s a coincidence.