▁was ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁the ▁" angel " ▁in ▁the ▁proposed ▁new ▁liberal - arts ▁college ... ▁was ▁there ▁a ▁few ▁days ▁before ▁announ cement ▁was ▁made ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁with dra wn ▁his ▁offer . ▁It ▁was ▁said ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁that ▁the ▁political ▁activities ▁of ▁an ▁associate ▁of ▁Mr . ▁Bar r , ▁anno yed ▁Mr . ▁M ell on ▁and ▁that ▁was ▁the ▁reason ▁the ▁offer ▁was ▁with dra wn . ▁ ▁Charles ▁A . ▁Nelson ▁dev otes ▁an ▁entire ▁chapter ▁in ▁Rad ical ▁Vis ions ▁to ▁the ▁episode . ▁He ▁tells ▁a ▁complex ▁and ▁detailed ▁story ▁which ▁does ▁not ▁mention ▁any ▁political ▁issues ▁and ▁essentially ▁agre es ▁with ▁the ▁public ly ▁stated ▁reasons . ▁In ▁his ▁view , ▁Bar r ▁and ▁Buch an an ▁over re ached , ▁and ▁believed ▁that ▁M ell on ▁would ▁agree ▁or ▁had ▁agreed ▁to ▁a ▁plan ▁much ▁more ▁am bit ious ▁than ▁his ▁original ▁intention . ▁ ▁Nelson ▁makes ▁clear ▁the ▁depth ▁of ▁M ell on ' s ▁interest ; ▁this ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁cas ual ▁million aire ' s ▁wh im . ▁M ell on ▁had ▁read ▁a ▁ 1 9 4 0 ▁article ▁about ▁St . ▁John ' s ▁in ▁Life ▁Magazine , ▁and ▁wrote ▁in ▁his ▁aut obi ography ▁that ▁after ▁reading ▁the ▁article ▁he ▁drove ▁to ▁Ann apolis ▁to ▁offer ▁financial ▁assistance ▁for ▁the ▁project , ▁but ▁I ▁got ▁so ▁interested ▁in ▁it — this ▁curr icul um ▁root ed ▁in ▁the ▁medieval ▁system ▁of ▁the ▁t riv ium