Thanking Mary Higgins
On the Occasion of Her 80th Birthday
Remarks at a Fundraiser for
The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust Endowment Fund
October 21, 2005
New York City
Good evening, everyone, and welcome. Thank you all so much
for coming. This--the formal presentation of the evening--
will be brief, and will comprise remarks from several individuals
...followed by a musical selection by our good friend, jazz pianist
Andy Kahn, featuring songs chosen especially for this occasion.
We're here tonight, quite simply, to say a long overdue "thank-you"
to a unique and remarkable woman who--since 1959, as the Trustee
of The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust--has shouldered the awesome
responsibility of administering the Estate of Dr. Reich according
to the wishes of his Last Will and Testament.
For years, many of us--who are friends and supporters of the
Museum and the Trust--have conferred among ourselves,
expressing interest in an occasion such as this...an occasion
where, in some small way, we might convey our gratitude to
Mary Higgins for all that she has done for nearly five decades
to honestly and pragmatically preserve the legacy of Dr. Reich
for future generations.
And whatever gratitude we articulate here this evening will be
small indeed when compared with the magnitude of Mary's
accomplishments...when compared with the enormity of a task
undertaken in 1959 by a young woman, barely 33-years old.
Regrettably, history is replete with stories of great leaders
passing away and leaving an aftermath of confusion, uncertainty,
fear, and acrimony. Pioneers in industry, politics, religion,
social movements, and science...family patriarchs and matriarchs
whose legacies become weakened and vulnerable, whose final
wishes are compromised by those after them. And so it was when
Reich died in November 1957 in the Lewisburg Penitentiary at
the age of sixty.
It's not our purpose here tonight to revisit the explicit difficulties
and conflicts following Reich's death. After all, if things had gone
differently, if people had been guided by their better instincts,
perhaps that would've been the exception rather than the rule.
And perhaps that would've been too much to hope for.
But what does it say about both human frailty and human ambition
that no one among Reich's associates and colleagues stepped
forward to assume the mantle of the Trusteeship and carry out
the specifics of his Last Will and Testament?
What does it say about the ephemeral nature of human bonds and
human relationships that no cohesive group assembled following
Reich's death to categorically insure the fulfillment of his final
wishes?
And what does it say about the fragile quality of happenstance and
sheer luck that an individual who never met Reich nor worked
with him...who was not a physician, psychoanalyst, psychiatrist,
or scientist--merely a young woman for whom Reich's work
resonated personally and deeply--that such a person would emerge
and offer to take on the burden of the Trusteeship for the simple
reason that no one else would.? And this young woman reasoned
that if no one else would, then Reich's legacy might well be
sacrificed forever.
No one today should ever look back from the vantage of 2005
and dare to diminish or misrepresent the dire situation as it was
in 1957 and 1958:
Reich tragically persecuted...and then suddenly gone.
His books banned by order of a United States federal court.
Three tons of his books burned in New York City by court order.
Several boxes of his publications burned outside his laboratory
in Maine...much of his legacy literally consigned to ashes.
The chilling effect of a court Injunction essentially silencing
much of Reich's work, including the continuation of his
promising medical research here in America.
In rural Rangeley, Maine, his 200-plus acre property of Orgonon
abandoned...overgrown and choked with weeds. We have black
and white photographs that document how bleak the situation was.
The Orgone Energy Observatory was boarded up, frequently
vandalized, all of its locks broken by unknown intruders. The entire
property and all of its buildings on the way to irreparable decay...
unattended and unprotected against the harsh New England elements.
And what of Reich's Archives, which he had stored in a photographic
darkroom on the first-floor of the Observatory and in a large closet
in his second-floor study? When Mary first visited the Observatory,
she discovered the Archives were gone. Removed illegally by
Aurora Karrer--the last woman in Reich's life--who had the
Archives loaded into a truck one day and transported hundreds
of miles away to the house that she shared with her mother in
Bethesda, Maryland.
What a sad and tragic irony, that Wilhelm Reich--truly one of
the most original thinkers of the 20th century, or any century--
should have his legacy and his wishes so disrespected...so
diminished...and so pitifully neglected.
And when his Last Will and Testament was finally probated
in 1958, and all specific personal bequests were fulfilled,
$823 was all that was left for Mary Higgins to carry out the
major precepts of the Will. Which Reich had enumerated
quite clearly. He wrote:
"I made the consideration of secure transmission to future
generations of a vast empire of scientific accomplishments
the guide in my last dispositions. To my mind, the foremost
task to be fulfilled was to safeguard the truth about my life
and work against distortion and slander after my death."
A few paragraphs later, Reich stipulated that the Trust shall: "... operate and maintain the property at Orgonon under the
name and style of The Wilhelm Reich Museum...The grounds
should be kept neat and clean, and repairs should not be neglected."
And regarding his Archives, Reich directed: "that they should
be put away and stored for 50 years to secure their safety
from destruction and falsification by anyone interested in the
falsification and destruction of historical truth."
$823 to do all of this.
Today, that would translate into approximately $5,675. And
whenever I look at those black and white photos of Orgonon
back in 1958, I think what a paltry figure that would be today:
less than $6,000 to transform Orgonon from the ruin that it was.
..to the beautiful and vibrant property and Museum that it is today.
But that's exactly what Mary Higgins did.
Not to mention, recovering the stolen Archives, which Mary
also succeeded in doing. So that today they are safe and secure--
unchanged, unaltered, and well-preserved--and currently being
prepared for access to researchers and scholars for generations
to come.
And Reich's banned and burned literature: starting in 1960,
Mary arranged with Farrar Straus & Giroux--which would
become one of the most reputable publishers in the world--
to publish Reich's books...his old titles as well as some
new ones.
Today, 21 books are available...Reich's work is represented
in over 21 languages throughout the world...and additional
materials are available exclusively in the Museum Bookstore.
The fact is, thanks to Mary, all of Reich's books, bulletins,
and journals that were destroyed in the 1950s, are available
today in some format: hardcover, paperback, xerox, or microfilm.
But this isn't a story that often gets told, is it? Over the years,
it's a story that seems to have been lost and distorted. And for
decades, Mary refused to write or speak publicly about the
difficulties, challenges, achievements, and triumphs of her tenure
as Trustee and Museum Director...refused to consciously draw
any spotlight to herself out of both genuine modesty and--more
importantly--her commitment to maintaining the focus of the Trust
where it belonged: on the truth and the legacy of Wilhelm Reich.
In fact, it wasn't until two years ago--in this very room and at
my urging--that Mary would even speak publicly about her
experiences over the past four decades. And you should also
know this: when I first broached the idea of this evening,
Mary was adamantly opposed to it as I knew she would be.
Only when I persisted, at the behest of numerous friends
and supporters, did Mary finally and reluctantly agree.
But I think it is fitting and proper that we assess the legacy
of Mary Higgins. And so from the vantage of 2005, we
should all pause and ask ourselves: "What if?" Like the
George Bailey character in the film It's a Wonderful Life,
we should ask ourselves, "What if there had been no
Mary Higgins?" Or "What if Mary's journey in life had
taken her elsewhere, so that she never encountered the work
of Wilhelm Reich?" What if?
What would've happened to Orgonon, Reich's abandoned home
and research center? Well, I've been going to Rangeley since
I was a child, since the 1950s...and I have no doubt that Orgonon
would've been sold...eventually developed into private homes
...and forgotten.
And the Archives? From all I know of the situation, it's highly
unlikely that these materials would've ever found the care,
protection, and organization that Mary provided. It is more
probable that these materials would've been distributed to
various locations and into various private hands...which has
happened with other Reich memorabilia.
As for the books: it's likely some of the titles would have
been published anyway, as we know some were. But certainly
not 21 titles...probably not in 21 languages...and probably not
from a publisher with the reputation and distribution capacity
of Farrar Straus & Giroux.
I once asked Mary if, in hindsight, she had any regrets about
her decision to become the Trustee. Her response was immediate:
"No, I've never regretted it," she told me.
And so for that decision--and for the joy that Mary has taken in it
--we should all be grateful.
Finally, on a personal note:
For the past few years, it has been a privilege and a pleasure
and an intellectual challenge to be working so closely with
Mary Higgins on all manner of issues regarding the Museum
and the Trust. I look forward to many more years of our
working together.
I am constantly inspired by Mary's wisdom, her diligence,
her intellectual honesty and vitality...by her acuity of thought
and her precise vision.
Not to mention Mary's physical vigor: I consider myself an
excellent hiker, but when Mary and I are walking some of the
more strenuous trails at Orgonon, it's usually Mary setting
the pace and me keeping up with her.
But what I value most is the personal trust and friendship
of such a unique and remarkable woman.
Thank you, Mary, for everything. And Happy Birthday.
Kevin Hinchey
The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust
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