[13910] in APO-L
Craig Shergold
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (EDK@LASPAU.MHS.HARVARD.EDU)
Fri Feb 23 19:07:22 1996
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 12:25:29 -0500
Reply-To: EDK@LASPAU.MHS.HARVARD.EDU
From: EDK@LASPAU.MHS.HARVARD.EDU
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
As several people have pointed out, the request to send cards to Craig
Shergold is long out of date and has taken on the nature of a chain
letter that propagates faster than the truth can catch up with it. For
the scoop from a source that usually does decent research:
From Ann Landers column 6/23/91:
Dear Readers:
Last year I began receiving tons of letters telling me about a
10-year-old English boy who had a malignant brain tumor. His
wish was to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for
receiving the greatest number of get-well cards. The boy's name
is Craig Shergold.
Several months ago I read a piece in the press saying Craig's
dream had become a reality. He surpassed another English lad, a
leukemia victim, who had received 1,000,265 cards, which put him
in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Marion Shergold, Craig's mother, announced that he had received
more than 33 million get-well cards from all over the world,
including cards from former President Reagan, President Bush,
Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev. She said her family is
very grateful for the overwhelming generosity but now she hopes
people will stop sending cards. "Unfortunately, Mrs. Shergold
said, "we are still receiving thousands every day and have no
place to store them." Meanwhile, I continue to be swamped with
requests from readers asking me to print a plea in my column for
*more* cards.
I decided to follow up on Craig's story, so I contact the Make-A-
Wish Foundation, which had worked with the Shergolds. The people
there told me that John Kluge, a Virginia billionaire, arranged
for a brain surgeon in Charlottesville, Va., to operate on Craig.
Kluge brought the entire Shergold family to the United States so
they could be present for the surgery.
The I called Marion Shergold in London. She told me the surgery
was a great success and that Craig is doing beautifully and is
expected to live a full life. She also said, "This is like a
fairy tale. This like this don't happen in real life. Mr. Kluge
is a saint." In her marvelous British accent, Mrs. Shergold said
excitedly, "Tonight we are having a God Bless American party.
About 150 people are coming to celebrate Craig's great good
fortune."
Now, dear readers, this lovely story now turns a little sour. I
just received a request from a well-known Chicago man, asking me
to publicize the fact that the same lad who broke the world's
record for get-well cards would now like to break another world's
record - this time for collecting the most business cards. This
man is one of dozens of affluent, high-profile Americans who are
faxing and chain-lettering their friends on behalf of Craig's
"new project." In the chain letter, Craig's name is misspelled,
his ages is given as 7, when actually he is 11, and the address
is incorrect. These errors set off alarm signals in my head.
Chain letters themselves are an abomination. I never read them,
nor would I foist them on anyone, much less ask my readers to
keep the chain going.
What's more, Marion Shergold wants everyone to know that the
Shergolds did not ask for business cards and they do not know
what to do with the 10,000 that are arriving daily. While they
greatly appreciate the kindness of the American people, they ask
that I please help put a stop to this well-meaning effort that is
turning into a nightmare. Soooooo, to all the good-hearted
people who may be inclined to send a business card, please don't.
I would also like to point out that your business card, which
most likely lists your phone number and address, could fall into
the wrong hands and become part of the mother of all mailing
lists. Sharp-eyed scam perpetrators, always on the alert for
suckers, may figure if you'd fall for this, you'd fall for
anything.
Y.I.S.
Ellen Kranzer
APO-L Administrator
ekranzer@harvard.edu or ccrazy@world.std.com
