In 1964 I was offered an opportunity that would have profoundly affected me and my family. It happened at a conference in New Orleans. I was having lunch with some of our American colleagues when someone mentioned that the pure research division was to be moved from the Savannah, Georgia, laboratory to Gainesville, Florida, and expanded. Washington was looking for someone to head up the new facility. I remarked jokingly that I should apply for the job. The Bureau chief must have been told, because a few hours later he invited me to attend a meeting in his room. Several of his staff, including the lunch group, were present. The chief asked, "Were you serious about applying for the upcoming job in Gainesville?"

Caught by surprise and overwhelmed by the implication of his question, I replied, "I haven't really thought about it. What does it entail?"

"We need someone to organize and develop the basic research program at the new facility planned for Gainesville, and eventually to become director," replied the chief. "We think you are the right person for the job."

"Why me?" I asked. "You have qualified people in the U.S. Why would you want someone from outside?"

"We already know your reputation as a research scientist. As an outsider, you would bring a fresh outlook and approach to the program. We have discussed it among ourselves and we all agree."

Flattered by this display of confidence, I replied, "I would need time to think about it and to discuss it with my family. It is a big step."

"We understand that. You can let us know within three months. However, while you are in the South we invite you to visit our laboratory in Savannah and meet our staff, and then Gainesville to see the university and look at homes for sale."

The director of the Savannah lab was a gracious host. Originally from the North, he told me that after he had spent about thirty years in the South, the locals now referred to him as a Yankee instead of a damn Yankee. There were a few things that disturbed me. For example, all personnel had to sign an in-and-out book when they left the lab during working hours. Also, no one was allowed to remain after hours because the lab was located in a dangerous part of Savannah where it was not safe to be alone. I thought that was not conducive to doing good research which cannot be dictated by the clock. I noted, too, that many of the staff were openly racist. In fact, a young black employee who drove me back and forth between the lab and the hotel confided to me that many of the whites at the lab were members of the Ku Klux Klan. I reflected too on the comment by the director about how long it took to be accepted by the locals. I thought to myself, "Welcome to the South!"

Gainesville was a delightful college town. The rambling ranch-style bungalows sat in wooded areas dominated by live oaks. Azaleas of many colours and hues grew in wild profusion just as they did in Savannah. The houses were considerably cheaper than were comparable houses in Winnipeg.

Upon arriving home, I discussed the offer with the family and talked about the pro's and con's of living in the United States. My salary and earning power would have been higher in the States. The climate was pleasant in Gainesville and the cost of living far less than in Winnipeg. I would have had a highly responsible job which was both a plus and a minus. Weighed against the benefits were distance from family, a lower standard of elementary and secondary education, a high crime rate compared to that of Canada, social problems, a faster pace of life, and hurricanes. Not all of these problems would have affected us directly, but nonetheless they were there like swords hanging over our heads. After considerable soul-searching I wrote to the chief in Washington declining the offer with thanks. A year later, I learned from a British colleague that he too had been offered the job after me, and he too declined for many of the same reasons.

Was it a good decision? Would it have been a great opportunity? Was the grass greener on the other side? I shall never know. The lab at Gainesville wasn't built until several years later. During those years of waiting I may have been shuffling paper in Savannah. Sometimes, during a raging prairie blizzard with howling winds and precipitous drops in temperature, I feel a twinge of regret at not having exchanged the pines for the palms, and the snow for the azaleas. But then, you don't see your neighbor's house flying past in a blizzard as you would in a hurricane. We might be criticized for not having seized the brass ring, but I believe we made the right decision in choosing to opt for the Canadian way of life. We do not dwell on what might have been.