International House Berkeley

International House Times 7 Letter From... Orville Golub Alumnus Orville Golub (IH 1938-40) celebrates his 100th birthday this August with an intimate gathering with his family in Carmel. Orville's daughter Judith shared a letter he wrote to her about how he met his love of a lifetime, Ellina Marx Jacob Golub (IH 1938-39) in the Great Hall. Elli passed away in 2008 but leaves behind a lasting legacy and many cherished memories. 'Twas the Summer of 1939. I had been in Berkeley since August 1937, but only living in International House since the summer of 1938. During my rst year in the Dept. of Bacteriology I became friends with another Ph.D. candidate, Abdul Majid, from Afghanistan, who had been sent over by his government to be educated in the biological sciences. He also was living in I-House when I moved in, so we spent time together. He was bright, had a great sense of humor, and made friends easily. I think it was on a Saturday afternoon, probably in July. Majid and I were standing and talking together in the Great Hall of I-House, just at one end of the large re- place. at position gave a clear view of the front doors and anyone who was entering. While we are conversing, I see a tall, good looking, athletic-looking girl striding into the Hall and she heads straight for us across the room. I thought maybe she was interested in me but, no, she was a friend of Majid's and greeted him warmly. She was liv- ing at I-House for the Summer, but I hadn't met her … Majid had the good sense to introduce me to the young lady — her name was Dicky Jacobs at that time, not Elli as we now know her. I must admit, she had an aura about her — more likely it was an aroma of the horse she had been riding. ere's a book I have about the evolution of life entitled "From So Simple a Beginning" and that could be the title of the rest of our lives together. Elli had a car, a lot of enthusiasm for doing things, and was full of ideas as to what we should do together. As a result, we did them. I was still just a grad student and teaching assistant, earning $75.00 a month. I could hardly think of getting too serious about a girl. In the summer of 1940, I moved into a shared apartment near the campus with a good friend of mine from I-House. e three of us were together quite a bit, going to movies, going skiing, even to Carmel once. en my roommate, who already had his Ph.D. in organic chemistry, became serious about Elli and asked her to marry him! When she told me this one evening while the two of us were in Auntie's apartment in San Francisco, I was dumb- struck! She said she didn't think she wanted to marry him. I told her that I couldn't promise her anything, I was making $75.00 a month, and didn't know when I was going to nish my degree. She said, however, that she would wait around and see what happened, but wouldn't marry him. When I transmitted this information back to my roommate, he blew his stack and promptly moved out of our apartment arrangement. Haven't seen or talked to him since. I moved to a room in a private home in the Berkeley hills north of the campus. In December of that year, shortly after Pearl Harbor, I was called to active duty in the Navy Medical Reserve Unit to which I belonged. e commanding of- cer was my professor in the Department: Commander Albert P. Krueger, M.D. My salary was $125.00 a month, enough to get married on! I asked Elli to marry me and shortly thereafter, we had an engagement party in San Francisco in May, and we were married in June. e rest is history. n DID YOU KNOW? I-House has nearly 50,000 living alumni worldwide! Meet the newest addition to the I-House Team, who wants to hear from all of them. Elizabeth "Izzy" Goodwin joined the Development and Communications team in March 2015 as the Fundraising and Events Coordinator. A native Midwesterner, Izzy has been in the Bay Area since 2013 and brings a tremendous amount of energy and exuberance. "I am thrilled to be a part of this incredible I-House team," says Izzy. "My role at I-House is to serve our alumni, friends, and donors; whether they want to learn what's currently happening under the dome, schedule a private tour during a visit to the Bay Area, or make a gift to support our mission, I'm here to ensure our doors are always open." Izzy started out with a bang, putting all the elements together for this year's Gala on April 30th, and is eager to meet you and hear your story. She can be reached at izzy@berkeley.edu or at (510) 643-6917. Elli and Orville Golub at the Valentine's reception honoring I-House couples Alumni Survey Coming This Fall! I-House is committed to providing our alumni with the best possible service. We are excited to announce an Alumni Survey, hitting inboxes this Fall! The survey will help us determine how we can best serve you as an Alumni Engagement Office. We send a big thank you in advance for your participation in this critical survey. We are excited to hear from you, and to make your I-House Alumni experience the best it can be! Now, after 60 years, 5 children, and 10 grandchildren, our intentions to love, honor and obey cherish are clear: "Never go to bed mad...... stay up and ght!" -Elli & Orville Golub

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