Dr. Jeffrey Smalldon

It was wonderful.

I still love literature.

But I began to think at that time in the 70s, the prevailing mantra in English departments, at least in the States, was publish or perish.

You needed to publish a tenure and get a promotion.

And I just didn't want to be on intellectual trial all that time and have to prove myself over and over again.

So I decided not to do that.

But then a lot of people, this experience where you make a decision that seems very underdetermined, like there's not much foundation for it, seems kind of random.

And then it changes the rest of your life.

And that's what happened with me.

And I'll tell you what happened.

And by the way, we need to go back in time to get to the Manson stuff because that's back before this.

Talking to my mom one day, I'm in my late 20s, and I said, I have no idea what to do with my life.

And she said, well, have you ever thought of hospital administration?

And I said, I've never heard of hospital administration.

What is it?

And she was a nurse at the local hospital.

So she said, well, I don't really know what it is either.

But there are a couple of nice looking young men down at the hospital where I work.

And I've heard them referred to as administrators.

They always say hi to me when I pass them in the hallway.