ABSTRACT
In interviewing Joe and having several communications with Charlotte for this book, Charlotte spoke of a major parental decision that she and Joe made upon the illness and death of their friend, Ping Pao. She said that before Ping Pao’s surgery, he had asked Joe and Charlotte if they would take in his children should he die (his wife had recently passed away). Ping Pao did die in surgery. His children, 13-year-old William and 18-year-old Maryland, were living with relatives. Charlotte said,
At that point Ann and Amy were out of the house and we were really enjoying just being the two of us. And I said no at first [in discussions with Joe and their two daughters]. I was 55 years old. I wasn’t young. I had just stopped working and I was a little, maybe depressed about that. Maybe I was thinking is this all there is going to be?
