Encore:
Remembering Gus Levine, M.D.
by Charles Hall, Ed.D.

"We feel in one world; we think and name in another ." -M.N. Whitehead

Who there be who could not cherish the rare experience of knowing and being befriended by and with a remarkable human being such as a Gus Levine? Not often does such a one come into our lives. When the "happening" occurs, one is transformed and awed in one's good fortune.

When our paths crossed in our very first initial contact, I suddenly knew that here was someone with whom I could forever be comfortable. Gus was short, about five-four, neither fat nor slim -- I'd say, just about right. His mischievous smile was infectious. He was playful with words, and seemed to me to have had a secret life not shared with just anyone. His personality did not harbor a faint of hostility toward anyone. He was without guile and prejudice.

The important thing about stumbling across the paths of those with whom we can share ourselves is this: one must be receptive and capable of recognizing the gem just discovered. How many times have we not been perceptive when the occasion presented itself? I'm sure that I may have missed out at one time or another. However, I have always been on the lookout for such encounters. I have found them when least expecting them.

One cannot be a selfish and distant person. To be open and expansive, one must feel secure within oneself. In short, we need to trust ourselves and others. Sure. We misplace our trust from time to time and get a little scorched. That doesn't mean something is wrong with us. The fault is in other hands.

I have never quite understood the phenomenon of such encounters, but I have been richly rewarded by my ignorance. Friendship with others is an effortless expansion of oneself, that is, one should feel safe within one's own skin.

As I mentioned above, Gus had this "secret" life in which he loved to play with thoughts and words. Below is one of his secret projects.

"When Minnie Sat Down to Play"

That day in March was dismal and gray,

When on the ward, Minnie first came my way.

I first saw eyes that seemed far too bright;

Her thoughts were dancing, with no place to light.

Her dress was in shreds and tied in a knot,

Her tongue was active, but her mind was not.

Talked to her once, twice or even thrice,

There was no response, not at any price.

First friend `Thorazine', we did try,

But in her cheeks, tablets would forever lie.

Then it was `Thorazine' as the concentrate,

But this mixture, she would not take.

`Thorazine' again we tried by injection,

But stopped for fear of infection.

Then it was `Reserpine' we tried;

She turned red and almost fried.

But to color we were blind and kept on;

Finally some of her agitation seemed gone.

Month after month, the needle was stuck, And then only on occasion did she run amuck.

`Thorazine' again we tried as a concentrate,

And taken with milk, it changed her fate.

She improved then day by day,

And soon we felt that "Our Minnie" was on her way.

She began to sit on a bench so upright,

While on her head and shoulders, the parakeet bird would light.

When the music of the piano began to play,

Minnie's whole body to the music began to sway.

And another light began to come to her eyes,

As though she was thinking of past lullabies,

Then Blind Rebecca was led from the piano stool,

And to take her place was Our Minnie, the fool.

The blind, the maimed, and the aged so old,

Clapped in glee, for Minnie seemed so bold.

Her right foot reached for the pedals with painstaking care,

And the position of her hands told us music was there.

The Choreas stopped their shaking, the Manics had nothing to say,

The very earth stopped its spinning, when Minnie began to play.

by Gus Levine, M.D.

Minnie was a challenge for Gus. I have had similar patients. But with patience, understanding - actually love - for others, we can seemingly perform a few minor miracles. Gus and I can each look back and see where we made a difference in the lives of those who came to us involuntarily. When we can "turn around" another for the better, each of us is enriched.

So it goes . . .