My Years with Ludwig von Mises.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

nnished the session with a short talk, lasting only ten minutes.
Then the questions poured in for Lu. Percy, helpful as always!,
read them aloud and Lu answered. But I noticed a change in his
handling of the questions. He used too much time in answering. I
sent him a little note, written in German, advising him to be very
brief. Percy was rather humorous: When he gave Lu the note-he
did not know what it contained-he said: "Professor, here is a-note
in code," and everyone laughed. i was r~lieved that Lu und~rstood.
The audience responded well, giving· him huge applau'se,
but I could not lose my concern about the many lectures he had
promised to deliver later that same year. I knew he needed rest and
should not travel so much.
Nevertheless, in November, 1970, we went to Grove City College.
Hans Sennholz took good care that Lu was comfortable and
had enough rest. The audience, students taught under the gUiidance
of Dr. Sennholz, were eager to hear "the Professor" talk. The
atmosphere was warm and friendly and the audience enthusiastic.
On December 10 Lu gave a lecture at Plano University, and the
following day he delivered a final short address to the faculty and
student body at the university, where some of Percy's students
were graduating. These were the last lectures he gave outside New
York City.
His seminar in Irvington still went on, however; the last time he
spoke from the platform was on March 26, 1971. He had always
loved lecturing in Irvington, .. and he continued doing it as long as
he felt able. It is fitting that the painting of Lu by George Augusta,
the well-known portrait painter, has a place of honor on the landing
of the beautiful staircase of the Foundation for Economic Edl;1­
cation. This painting, 'initiated by Lawrence Fertig, was presentdd
by the trustees of FEE to Leonard Read in honor of the foundation's
twenty-fifth anniversary.
George Augusta practically lived with us from morning to night
from March 8 to March 10, 1971, using these days for the basis of
his work. Our living room became his atelier; he shared our meals;
he talked to us; he watched Lu's every movement. He tried to keep
Lu interested, all the time observing him-and his reactions. A psy-
.choanalyst listens; a painter or a sculptor watches. The result
should be the same: insight into man's soul. For me it was fascinating
to watch so closely an artist at work. All the time I had to sit
next to Lu, in a special location, so that his eyes would rest on me
constantly. "I could not have done this painting without you,"
Augusta often said, and I agreed that Lu would not have "wasted
his time" sitting quietly for three days without a book, looking at
nothing.
I love this painting, though in my opinion it does not show Lu as
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