Bryngelson Relates An Embarrassing Story

A Story from Bryng's Speech to ASHA in California about 1972

The best compliment I have experienced was from Pauline Camp, one of ASHA's founders. This event, I must describe. It occurred in the lobby of the McAlpin Hotel in New York at one of our association conventions. As old friends often do -- embrace each other and characteristically me, I kiss also. I was expecting Pauline to arrive at 5 p.m. Well, I saw her sitting in the lobby visiting with what looked to me like her professional staff from Madison, Wisconsin. I wanted to greet her as I usually did, with a warm kiss. So I sneaked rapidly under a lobby palm tree, grabbed her cheeks and gave her a hearty smack on her luscious lips. All of a sudden I drew back and said, "My God! I thought you were Pauline Camp." Yes, I had kissed a strange woman and have only one other time felt so embarrassed. I wanted to run out to sit on the pavement and rehearse my horrible mistake to a banana skin, but I was frozen to the spot and said to the lady, "I'm Dr. Bryngelson from the University of Minnesota" -- as if this would be a soothing excuse for my misdemeanor. What do you suppose this lady said? "It was a wonderful kiss," and thrust out her arms directed to the two females at her side and added, "These are my two daughters," as if to say, you can kiss them too. Well, indeed this was a perfect adjusting [sic] person and did something to squelch my embarrassment, but it is not relevant to the compliment I referred to earlier, "You haven't changed at all." News spread fast among the speech pathologists at conventions and when Pauline did arrive and saw me I hurried to explain in person what I had done. No, she greeted me with a chuckle, having already heard the news and she said, "Bryng, congratulations, you are aging gracefully." Naturally I was dry and insouciant by now and the kiss I implanted on Pauline's lips was not only the longest in duration I had ever given her, but it brought forth a repetition of her first response, "Bryng, you are aging gracefully." To me, a real compliment on my aging jaunt in life!...