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Heritage
To My Sons
MY SONS, Sam Louis, Saul, Cecil and Nathan:
I, your father, have had a vision that has now developed into an ambition, of erecting a monument to the Wolfson family, in the form of a Children's Clinic, in Jacksonville, at a minimum cost of $500,000.00, to be given, upon completion, free of any and all encumbrances, to the State of Florida, or the Community Chest, or the organization believed to be the most meritorious of such a gift, the maintenance of which Clinic is to be borne by the State, the City, or the specific recipient of this donation.
The derivation of this ambition is the deep, heartfelt gratitude that has been mine, in the many hours that I have had to reminisce in recent years, for the many opportunities for health, happiness, success, and the full enjoyment of the freedoms offered by this fine country of ours, since it was my privilege to come over here from Russia at the age of 17. There were, during those days, untold hardships and great obstacles that a young man faced, in a strange country; but I was endowed with a will to win that spurred me on in the face of the most trying situations. It was then that I knew that the greatest day of my life would be the day of my naturalization as an American Citizen, for then I could feel that I was part of this vast country where everyone is interested in his fellow man and in the general happiness and well being of the community and determined that, if it be God's will to give me strength, I would never cease trying to give my children a happy and healthy environment, and in my small way help other children in the same way; and thus substantiate my contentions that the healthy, nurtured youth of today will make for cleaner and finer leadership in our country and community in the future.
Man has no greater joy than to look about him and, in all sincerity and true knowledge, say, "The finest, healthiest, and most upright boys and girls, reared in a great country, and schooled in high ideals, with an appreciation to God, to their Mother and Father, and to the many fine Americans with whom they have been associated through childhood and into manhood and womanhood -- and they are mine." That supreme joy I have felt each and every day when I think of the splendid family of three girls five boys that afford me constant happiness.
For this reason, I hope that, should I fail to accomplish this and make this Clinic a reality in my life time, you, my sons, will see that my wish is carried out and fulfill my desire. I cannot speak authoritatively on the organization of the staff of such a Clinic to manage it, but I hope that you boys who live after me will make sure that all persons affiliated with this Clinic in any way have no prejudices as to race, creed, or color, and will consecrate themselves to the task of giving relief to the young that may pass through these portals.
All of this I request, so that one day the Children's Clinic that I have dreamed of may be a reality and that the healthy, happy children who may leave this Clinic, after having received its help and blessings, may forever feel a sense of gratitude to the staff for their courage, patience, and untiring efforts in charting their courses, and to the Founders of the Clinic for their wisdom in showing the way to the leaders of the future whose power of leadership will be measured only by their greatness of purpose, broadness of vision, and most of all -- health of mind and body.
This I have submitted for your consideration and will leave in your hands for your own judgment in which I have the greatest confidence.
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Very devotedly, your father,
M. Wolfson
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