Knight Biggerstaff Letter Job Offer - 1953

Description:

November 4, 1953 - Mr. Oey Giok Po 35 Djalan Tjendana, Djakarta, Indonesia. Dear Mr. Oey: I trust that you have had a pleasant trip through Europe, with a good rest from your strenuous academic activities of the past two years. The fall term is now well under way at Cornell. We have some good new students, and the weather to date has been unusually mild. I am writing to inquire whether you would be interested in returning to Ithaca to accept a professional position in the Cornell University Library. This position has not been set up yet, but the Librarian feels sure that it can be--a permanent position dealing with books related to China and South-east Asia, with a starting salary of $8,300 per year. If you are interested in the position and Mr. Shephard find it possible to create it, we would like to have you take it over as soon as possible. We have been informed that the Indonesia immigration quota has been filled for the current year (ending June 30, 1954), so you probably could not come in until after that date. However, that is something your you to make sure of at the nearest American Consulate. We realize that even if you want to accept this position you might not have the funds with which to pay your travel expenses back to Ithaca. If this is a problem I expect that the Southeast Asia Program would be willing to lend you the money for this trip, to be repaid during the first year or two from your salary. If you are interested in this position please let me know by return mail so that we can procede to have it set up. If you are not interested we shall have to look for someone else. With cordial greetings, Sincerely yours, Knight Biggerstaff, Chairman, Department of Far Eastern Studies. crw

Attribution:

The John M. Echols Collection

Date:

November 4, 1953