Bella
New York City
April 8, 1998

Dear Mrs. Rattray -

Bella:

Some called her brash, aggressive, abrasive, and uncompromising, and perhaps she was, but you name the progressive cause and she was there, shaping the discourse long before it was popular to do so.

It took great courage, compassion, independence, and integrity to do what she did and she never stopped doing it, practically up to the day she died. She never gave up or gave in, because, as she said, "Every principle is important, and if you compromise one, you compromise them all."

Bella believed. She was an organizer. She built coalitions and she moved matters forward until they became her own and our own. Whether it was civil rights, environmentalism, nuclear testing, McCarthyism, Nixon's impeachment, the Vietnam War, breast cancer, or feminism - she was there and now she is gone. And she will be sorely missed.

Sincerely,

SUSAN ASARIAN

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Night To Remember
Amagansett
March 1998

To The Editor:

Recently the absolute fury regarding the motion picture "Titanic" has blurred the memory of still another memorable presentation of the famous 1912 disaster. This was 42 years ago, to be exact, on April 2, 1956, when the Kraft Television Theatre presented Walter Lord's best-seller, "A Night to Remember," on NBC. The amazing thing about this version was it appeared on television, 100-percent live!

It required a total of 104 actors, 72 of them speaking roles, plus 31 sets. The guiding genius behind this unforgettable production was director George Roy Hill. Equipped with a budget which probably would not have paid for the hairpins of the recent Academy Award film, Mr. Hill faithfully told the story in an hour's time! It was done in NBC's largest studio at the time, in Brooklyn. Walter Lord had spent 28 years researching his account.

None of these facts take anything away from the present blockbusting release, which has grossed a fortune around the globe. That television version probably sold some cheese.

The closing words, spoken by the late Claude Rains, bear repetition: "Had any of the 'ifs' turned out right, every life might have been saved. But they all went against her, and never again has Man been so confident. An Age had come to an end."

I recall the television program vividly. I was cast as a passenger.

PETER TURGEON

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Engineers Needed
Montauk
April 2, 1998

To The Editor,

The rites of spring are upon us. Florida beaches jump with college students on their spring break, many for the last time before they graduate.

This is also the time of the year when corporations send out their scouts to the colleges looking for a few good men and women to fill their openings. Except this year the scouts are following these students right down to the beaches.

There is a shortage of engineers. Plenty of M.B.A.s (Wall Street), social and cultural sciences (for never-ending Federal programs), and political science wannabes (interning at the White House).

It is the engineering students who are in short supply, so get out your drawing boards and wait for the scouts as they storm the beaches looking for you.

GERALDINE MANZARE

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