BRACERS Record Detail for 126422
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BR tells Hocking of the Harvard philosophy department of his reduced accommodation needs in Cambridge, beginning Sept. 16. He provides his schedule: they leave Lake Tahoe on Sept. 8 and go first to Philadelphia, passing through Chicago on the 10th. Write to him c/o Charles Morris there, and c/o Lucy Donnelly in Bryn Mawr.
BR TO WILLIAM ERNEST HOCKING / HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 31 AUG. 1940
BRACERS 126422. ALS(X). Harvard U. Archives via Michael Stevenson
Proofread by K. Blackwell
Fallen Leaf Lodge, Lake Tahoe, Cal.
August 31, 1940
Dear Hocking,
Some time ago you were kind enough to offer to help us about accommodation at Cambridge during the autumn. At that time our plans were uncertain. Now I have accepted, from January 1941, a post which involves living near Philadelphia. That being so, we have decided that it will be necessary for my wife to find and furnish a house there. Accordingly I shall be alone at Harvard, and shall need only bachelor quarters. When I was there in 1914, I stayed in Craigie Hall; something of that sort would suit me again. A bed-sitting room with a bath is all I need.
We leave here on Sep. 8, and go first to Philadelphia, to get the house-hunting started. I intend to reach Cambridge about Sep. 16. If you wish to reach me by letter, I shall be passing through Chicago on Sep. 10, and a letter c/o Professor Charles W. Morris, Chicago University, would reach me. I do not know where I shall be in Philadelphia, but c/o Miss Lucy Donnelly, New Place, Bryn Mawr, Pa. (where my wife will be) will certainly reach me. Don’t put yourself out about accommodation for me, as it can be settled after I arrive if necessary.
Yours sincerely
Bertrand Russell.
- Sep. 16 Russell did not reach Cambridge until 1 Oct., when he arrived with his wife, Patricia, their son Conrad, and likely Conrad’s governess, Pamela Campbell. They stayed at the Commander Hotel, Cambridge, for the duration. See Michael Stevenson, “‘My Personal Ruin Passes Unnoticed’: Russell, Harvard, and the William James Lectureship”, p. 59.
