Introduction to a Lifetime Experience

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About 1965, I had recently arrived in New York. The New York cultural scene was little known to me. I met a lady, then working for the ESU, whose name was Antonia T. Thompson (she later went on to work in London and long disappeared...probably gone). She introduced me to the ESU and, like she did for several other new New Yorkers, mentored access to appropriate ESU programs. This gave several of us a remarkable opportunity to participate in a wide cultural exposure...at the center of which was the ESU - in those days, a much smaller and more intimate organization. In time, thanks to the original introduction by Ms. Antonia Thompson, I came to appreciate the richness of Anglo- culture and the extraordinary

learning experience that the Esu provided. The social engagement and participatory involvement that the ESU provided in those days was unique. I had come to NYC for a short time but ended by remaining for a lifetime...and that was largely due to the introductory exposure via ESU.