“Not long ago my father passed away; we were never really close. I attended his funeral in Newport News, hugged my sisters, bade my farewell and flew back to Baltimore. It was when I recalled the color guard of the United States Air Force presenting arms and performing the 21-gun salute for my father that I realized the things he taught me.
“We didn't grow up rich. We lived meekly. We had our problems. My dad was a master sergeant and he was away a lot -- and I blamed him for that for many years. As a Marine, I now understand the duties that pull us away from our families, and how we can't always give our families all that we would like to provide.
“As those Airmen fired those shots over my father's grave, it dawned on me that my father taught me one of life's greatest lessons -- that money isn't everything, that freedom is worth everything, even dying for if you have to, and to cherish the time you have with your family and friends when you're not deployed and while here on this Earth. It was on the way back on that plane to Baltimore, as tears rolled down my cheeks, I realized that I am indeed my father's son.”
Ssgt. Keith Campbell, U.S. Marine Corps

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

My father taught and continues to teach me many things...even at the ripe old age of 30! (LOL).  Here are just a few of them:
Always be on time. (Although my father is always late, he managed to instill in me the importance og being on time.)
Take your time in accomplishing tasks and don't rush.  You usually make a lot of mistakes when you rush.
When approaching a problem, try to think it through step by step.  Don't just jump into it with no plan.
Sometimes, you have to be quiet and just listen to other people. (It took me a while to learn this one)
Always work hard and do the absolute best that you can. (He didn't so much tell me this...this I learned more from example)
Be patient.  You can't always have everything right away. (I'm still working on this one...)
There are many other things that my father taught of the course of 30yrs.  If I listed them all, I would be writing a book.  These were just a few that stick out in my mind and that I seem to use the most.  Once again, great column and I hope it reaches a multitude of people.
Jimmy R. Lewis, Jr.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

My father taught me to stay a kid as long as possible.  While both of my parents made sure to instill a strong work ethic in my brother and me, my dad once helped me ditch school. The day before my 13th Birthday, he pulled me out of class in the middle of the day to get ice cream, go to a park, and just “be a kid one more day” before the horror of being a teenager began.. . . . Being an adult is realizing it’s not all about you. There are bills you need to pay, events you have to attend, and chores you need to complete.  No one cares if you feel like doing these things, you just do them.  . . . Education is key.  No if, ands, or buts.  And no one said it would be easy, so complaining will get you nowhere. . . And perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned from my father: If you’re daddy’s little girl, and you’re away at college, daddy will understand if you rack up a little credit card debt.  But if most of this debt is from Victoria’s Secret, he won’t be so understanding!
Meghan McCormick, Towson

When I started driving, my father took me out to the car, showed me every part, hose, and wire, and told me how everything worked. He showed me how to change a flat tire, how to change my oil, how to replace my spark plugs and windshield wipers, and how to know if my car needed a tune-up . . . My father taught me to drive with a manual transmission, which I still think is the coolest skill in the world.  . . . I consider a manual transmission the best theft deterrent there is, even better than Lojack.
Gynene Sullivan, Baltimore

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I learned a couple things from my dad:
1.To note the absurdity in certain things of life and to equip yourself with a healthy sense of humor so as not to be engulfed completely by sadness. Face up to the challenges and absurdities, but at least with something of a wry smile.
2. In addition, he taught me that learning & education extend far beyond the confines of school. In technical terms, I have more schooling than my father, but in real life terms, my father is far more learned than I am and I'm forever catching up. When I'm finally in, he's out and onto the next thing. Cultivating a quick mind is one of the goals and attributes I really admire about him.
John Lane
Baltimore

What I learned from my dad:
He stressed that our lives were blessed and showed, through example, how to express our gratitude to God.
He taught us the healing power of humor and laughter, even during life's most difficult events.
He taught us tolerance, for each other, and for all people in different walks of life.
He taught us that effective communication was essential in matters of love, marriage, friendships and careers.
He taught us to make decisions by asking advice,listing pros and cons and asking ourselves, " What's the worse that could happen?"
He became a reformed male chauvinist after assuming his deceased wife's responsibilities and on the day he realized we (his daughter and son-in-law)could not pay the mortgage on our rowhouse without his daughter's income!
As he was dying he asked us (his children) to stay close to one another and to remember him and mom, not as perfect human beings, but as the genuine  people ("warts and all") they strove to be.  
Kathleen Baldwin
Towson, Md.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

-He taught me that music is the language of God. He never said that--I figured that out by his example. My very first memory is of him practicing every night on his guitar (he was a notable jazz guitarist around Baltimore, played with Zim Zimmerel, played in Truman's band in WWII, etc). I saw how music transformed him into a chubby buddha with that omniscent, happy look on his face. And it's obvious from the crowds he played for that music brings disparate groups of folks together digging on the same groove, looking at each other with those same knowing glances.

-He taught me how it's important to say you're sorry when you hurt people. And mean it--and not do the offending thing again.

-He taught me to appreciate humor of all types, as laughing is one of the funnest things you can do, and how it breaks down arbitrary societal mores that pretend to separate us from another. And it can teach us not to be so self-righteous or think we're any more important than anyone else. He taught me how to make impromptu jokes too.

-He taught me how to eat hot peppers, raw oysters, steamed crabs; drink beer and make a very dry martini (only let the gin bottle 'look' at the vermouth bottle, briefly!).

-He taught me that all people were cool, as we had his jazz musician friends of all races, genders, ethnic or religious groups, shapes and sizes play in our house and at our family parties. As a kid I used to See Sammy Ross, the little people actor, at our house, who was one of my Dad's friends. It was cool to have a grown-up who was my size. And it was cool to have all these diffent people around me as a kid--that taught me I'm no different from anybody.

-He taught me it's more important to do things than it is to talk about them.

-He taught me that your freedom extends the length of your arm. After that you're affecting other people's freedom.

-He taught me never to hold a grudge or stay mad. He and I would get into a typical alpha-male teenage/parent exchange (which happened a lot in the 1960's), yelling and screaming at each other, saying rotten things...and five minutes later we'd be laughing our butts off, tears rolling down our faces at something we saw on TV together.

-He taught me that worrying is a complete waste of your precious time here on Earth. When he had  quadruple by-pass surgery at age seventy-some, my Mom, brother and I were all afraid he wouldn't make it. He told us to stop bothering him so he could read the paper. (He was fine after the surgery).

-He taught me how to die honorably and with dignity and even a certain measure of 'cool.' He had terminal cancer and had a few weeks to live. He never stopped smiling through it even though he was in big pain. He never complained, he never said he got a bad deal or that he wanted more time.

All he said was that he loved us all very much.

He did pull me aside a week before he died to ask me to take care of my Mom because she'll need me to help her now.

And I was holding his hand when he passed.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 4:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Persistence - this lesson came through a game my dad played with my sisters and me.  He'd put some change in his fist and have us take turns trying to pry open the fist.  The winner got to keep the change. This lesson resulted in my persisting in acquiring my own education, in educating our two sons and, as an educator, prodding my students to do their best work.
 
Politeness -- dad taught us to shake hands with visitors to our home and  with people at church or in town and to call them by name, using a title for grown-ups.  As a woman today, I tend to offer a firm handshake when greeting people and to offer my hand first when greeting men.
 
Proper decorum -- even in a household with two parents, it was my father who would say to us girls as we sat in a chair with rungs, "Keep your feet on the floor," making us aware of proper posture for young women.  Later when my dad discovered that I had taken up smoking in college, he made one plea, "Do me a favor; don't smoke in the street."  I think of Dad today when I cross my legs at the ankle while sitting on a dais.  Of course, the smoking ceased even before I married and had children.
 
If the aforementioned lessons seem dated, perhaps they are. I grew up African American in the 1940's in rural Virginia. My dad had only an elementary school education, though he stressed education for my sisters and me.  He had expired before I earned my doctorate, but I know that he would be proud that I kept my feet on the floor while I pried open doors to education and while I continue to encourage my students to persist.
 
Mary Hairston McManus

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 1:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I'm 54 and have children of my own, including a son (16) who will be receiving his Eagle Scout rank on 6/24.  As a father, I've passed on many of the lessons learned from my father. Three that I would like to share are the most profound lessons of life, having served me well and brought me to where I am today.  I've instilled them in my own my own children, and as a Baltimore Police officer (27-year veteran) I've shared them with the many juveniles I've come in contact with (both arrested and mentored).
1. Your honesty and your integrity are the most valuable things you'll have.  Only you can attain them and protect them ... and only you can throw them away if they don't mean anything to you. Nobody makes you tell a lie ... you make that decision.  Nobody makes you cheat or steal ... you make that decision.
2. Your education is the second most valuable thing in your life.  With it you can be and do whatever you want ... your education is the key to your success. The teacher gets paid whether you learn or not  . . .  It's your choice to take advantage of their efforts.
3. Work hard, give 110% effort.  It will be noticed and appreciated. Your boss doesn't owe you (a job) ... you owe him your loyalty and an honest days work. (My father served 28 years in the Army, and then 20 years with the United StatesPostal Service.  He never missed a day of work from illness.)
I thank God for the many lessons my father taught me.  They have all served me well throughout my life.
Thanks for the opportunity to tell you of this remarkable man.
Sgt. Laron W. Wilson

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

My relationship with my Dad was good at the beginning, I remember a pleasant childhood.  Then came the divorce from my mother and he was out of my life for 13 years.  I took the high road and invited him to my wedding which opened the door to him for my siblings and I.  Our relationship grew from there.  We learned to respect each other as individuals, adults, parents and children.  They were very good years.

Long and short of it all, on my wedding day my Father said to me two words, "Love totally."  At the birth of my daughter, the first time he held her he said to her "Love totally."  Finally at his funeral I repeated back to him "Love totally" and thanks!

No matter the paths we took, me to college and him through rough alcoholic years, I think those two words held a bond for us.  I am sorry he is gone and did not get a chance to see his grand-daughters grow but I know he watches over us.  When I am down or having a bad day,  I close my eyes and listen very closely.  I can hear him say "Erin, love totally".

Erin Byrd
Aberdeen, MD

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

1. Read the directions FIRST and count all the parts.
2. Sand with the grain.
3. Appreciate the tools you have and don't abuse them. (A wrench is not a hammer, a screw driver is not a chisel.)
4 .Never cut wire  / wood / pipe  "exactly."    Always " over allow "  on  them.  You can't glue back
    the wood you  " under cut "....measure it twice ..cut it once.
5.  Don't  " pop the clutch" when stopped uphill at a stop sign/ red light.
6.   He taught me how to read a road map,  use a compass,  plot and  lay a course line,  and most importantly, how to re-fold that road map so it firt  neatly in the glove box.
7.  Look beore you sit down...(Mom had just taken a fresh baked Pumpkin Pie from the oven and put it on the small bench in the kitchen, and Pop  came in, sat down to unlace his boots, and after a moment, got up VERY quickly).  This was a VISUAL  lesson.
8. You can't put the spray nozzle back on a can of whipped cream once you break it off......well, you can try, but the results are messy.
9.  Appreciate a good joke.
10.  How to tie a Windsor knot  and a Four in Hand knot  so the ends come out even.
W. Brooks Riley
Parkville, Md.

Some axiom's of my Dad, Robert Fontaine:

" Don't ever think you're better than some else, just try to be a
better person."

"It's the responsibility of every generation to make the world of work
and society better for the next generation."

"The only people who get in trouble are those who try to do something."
 (offered when I got in a political jam at work)

"Don't worry about the politics (at work), just serve your members and
the politics will take care of themselves." ( My Dad and I were each
union officials at one point in our lives.)

"When in doubt, ask yourself , "What would Dad want me to do?" (This
was very helpful when I became a 19-year-old married father.)

"You may disagree with your wife, but always treat her with respect."

"Kids remember everything - so watch yourself."

I finally got into the enjoyable habit of reading when my father
insisted I read at least one editorial a day. At first I didn't know
what most editorials were saying, but I'd discuss it with my Dad and I
would learn about issues and values. This started when I was about
twelve, which eventually led to daily newspaper habit and thousands of
books.

David Fontaine

Things my father taught me:
1. To pick the strawberries that are ripe for picking and how to walk
down the row without smashing any other berries that are still ripening
2.  To dig for clams in the mud with my toes
3.  To entertain myself with a little string and a bag of chicken wings
at Public Landing
4.  To change a flat tire (although I definitely did not want to learn
this at 16).  He insisted that if I was going to drive a car, I needed
to know how to change a flat tire.
5.  Never to bring the car back with the fuel gauge on “Empty.”
6.  Never put the cookies back in the pantry with only one left in the
box.
7.  To help those who do not have as much as you do.  When I told him
years ago about a homeless guy in Gino’s on York Road trying to bum
something to eat from us poor college kids, he was stunned that we had
not shared our food with him.  I never made that mistake again.   Many
homeless fellows have shared my leftovers in Little Italy and Fells
Point since.
8.  “Every jackass thinks his load is the heaviest” was his response
when I complained about having to do more work than my younger sisters
and brother.  You can bet I think twice before I complain about
anything.  I hear his voice in my head saying, “Every jackass…”
9.  To kiss my spouse good-bye every time I leave the house.  As kids,
we always saw him kiss our mother when he left the house because he
said, “You never know what today will bring.”   I think now that while
Mother might not have found the words comforting, the kiss surely was.

Faith Hermann

In memory of my dad, James E. Pringle, who died of Alzheimer's Disease on Nov. 24, 2006
 
1. My dad taught me that "talk is cheap...it takes money to buy land!" He told me to, "Keep my mouth shut sometimes and let people think I am a fool, than to open it and remove their doubts!" He reminded me to think before responding...it does keep you out of trouble.
 
2. My dad taught me that church is a personal thing: You go to personally spend time with God. He always said, "I can't stand church folk...but I love God's people!" As a minister of music, it is good to know the difference.
 
3. Dad taught me to be real to the core... He couldn't stand hypocrites. He told me, "If you are going to be a crook, be a good crook! If you are going to be a doctor, be a good doctor." There wasn't a phony bone in his body . . . It is a trait I have embraced. I am real and will say what I feel...it doesn't always produce a positive result, but it's a positive trait nonetheless.
 
4. Dad taught me very poignantly that love is stronger than Alzheimer's Disease. Even when he couldn't talk, walk, or do anything for himself, he still puckered up when it was time to kiss Mom. His love transcended that boundary, and it made me realize just how strong and lasting love can be.

Submitted by: Robert Pringle, New Freedom, Pa.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I learned the value of loyalty from my dad. He has been married to the same woman for 57 years and worked at Bethlehem Steel for 42 years. I have been married to the same woman for 25 years and rewtired from Baltimore County after 32 years.
   FAMILY AND CHURCH come first because in the end, that's all we really have.
   BASEBALL IS THE GREATEST GAME man has invented. Life lessons evolve out of it. You can never replace the smell of your glove or the feeling you get walking in the outfield grass when the dew makes your shoes wet in the hot morning sun. One of my dads greatest joys is the fact that my son is playing college baseball.
   DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY even if it means playing hockey for the Jr. Clippers instead of continuing to play baseball..
    I grew up in a home where my mom was alawys home. Dinner was at 5pm sharp. Dad worked swingshift, but always seemed to be at all my functions. We had one car, a Corvair, but it got me to Towson everyday. How did dad get to work those days? We went through long strikes at " the Point" and never went to O.C. Today's child might think I missed some things. That never crossed my mind and I can only hope I am half the Dad as he is.
Steve Morlock
Bel Air

My father taught me to show as much respect to the cleaning people as to the CEO.
 
My father taught me to always try my best - whether it was in school or on the tennis court.
 
My father taught me to love sports and especially the Orioles and the Ravens (who were the Colts in his day).
 
He taught me the importance of a sense of humor.
 
He taught me to be skeptical. He taught me to think for myself and to not follow even if following was safer.
 
He taught me that a solid education would carry me through life.
 
He taught me self-reliance.
 
He taught me to learn from past mistakes and to strive to not repeat those mistakes.
 
He taught me to respect the elderly.
 
He taught me to appreciate my family and my friends and to not get attached to material possessions.
 
My father taught me the beauty of nature - whether it was a walk along the beach in Ocean City or a hike on the Appalachian Trail.
 
He taught me to respect the earth.
 
He taught me that life is short and joys are fleeting.
 
My father died suddenly in 1994 at the age of 75.  On behalf of my twin sister, Carol, my older brother Jef and my other older sisters, Janet and Jeannie, we thank you for this opportunity to thank him.
Karen J. Fry

Our father, Sheldon Pelovitz (Columbia, MD) is the most wonderful dad ever. His sense of humor is definitely one of a kind. He taught us that he may not always be right but he's never wrong . . . that the best diet is a "see-food" diet (you see food and you eat it) . . .  But most important of all, he taught us how to love, respect, and to appreciate every day and everyone.
Leah Pelovitz, Baltimore
Kelly Shuford, St. Augustine

My dad taught me that if you walked with purpose and studied nonchalance you could gain access to all manner of places you didn’t really belong. On a visit to his hometown of Boston, we found ourselves in the vicinity of Fenway Park. It was the off season, but as we drove by he spied an open gate. He parked the car, and in we went. I hung back, appalled, convinced that any minute we’d be arrested.  But we were never challenged, and I got the grand tour. It probably helped that my dad was forever being mistaken for a police detective: tall, ramrod posture, long overcoat and fedora. He went on to reveal how, as a young adult, he and his cronies would drop into various hotel functions for free drinks and food when money was tight.
This was a lesson I appreciated but never learned to put into practice myself ;  I have a terrible poker face.  But the tour of the ballpark and the image of my straitlaced dad as the original wedding crasher – priceless.
Sue Walsh
Phoenix, MD

My father was tall and muscular with jet black hair and all my girlfriends thought he was so good looking but to me he just looked like Daddy.  He had the most gentle nature about him.  On sunny summer days he would gather up wild violets and present them to our Mother .  His face would light up like a young boy and he would grab Mom about the waist and give her a kiss while she helplessly shook the dish soap off her hands.  They would laugh together as we kids hid around the corner and giggle at their encounter.  He always grew a garden and now that tradition passed on to my generation and two generations after ours.  I never saw a person so happy as when he brought in a giant zucchini or a plump red tomato.
    
My Dad taught me how to put a fishing hook through a worm, how to cast and how to take the fish off without loosing the hook.  Being the girly girl I was, he mostly did all that for me and I would reap all the credit if we brought a fish home.

He worked at Rustles Steel and then Armco Steel in Baltimore for most of his life as an electrician and taught all his children how to do basic electricity.  I would feel so proud that I could put in a light switch or hang a ceiling light when most of the guys I knew didn't have a clue.
 
My father taught me how to ice skate, although he always tied the laces too tight.  I could never master the way he would skate backward and do flips and spins.  He taught us how to hold a golf club and how not to swing.  When he would play in local tournaments he would always come home with a trophy.  Who knows how great he could have been if he didn't have such a large family to care for.  He worked two jobs sometime so that Mom did not have to work outside the home could be there when we got back from school.
 
It wasn't until his funeral some eleven years ago that total strangers came up to me and told me how he had made their live better.  They told me of how he would give them a ride to the store or fix their electricity for free or haul something away because they didn't have a car, give them vegetables from his garden or just smile and wish them well.  They spoke of how they admired a man with five children that could work a job all day, come home, help with dinner and enjoyed the clean up with Mom because that was one time they had alone.
Karen Welsch-Susio
Nottingham

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 3:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Marie Maltese of Catonsville picked up a lot from her father -- and father-in-law.

My father taught me to . . . .

Never tell a lie.  You'll only have to remember the lie and tell more lies to cover up the lie and you'll just get caught in the end anyway.  I learned the validity of this at a young age, and don't know if it's his training or Catholic guilt or both, but that's a core lesson for me.

Multiplication: Dad and I went through flash cards every single night for months when I was in third grade, and I can still multiply like a machine thanks to his tutelage.

Dad taught me how to solder components for electronics when I was in the first grade.  What can I say? Dad was an electrical engineer . . .

Dad taught me to garden; he comes from a family of farmers, and everyone in our family finds a place for at least a few tomato plants, if nothing else, in order to compete for the first ripe tomato of the season-before July 4th!  He taught me to love vegetables, that no meal was complete without at least one green vegetable, and more green vegetables were better for you than potatoes, pasta, or rice.  He even taught me how to can tomatoes.

Dad taught me when to look for the fastball; that the baseball season is long and a couple of losses are not the end of the world; when to start thinking about putting in the relief pitcher, and that the #1 baseball player of all time is Brooksie.

Family is everything. 

Turn the lights out when you leave the room. 

Save your money. 

Something you don't need, on sale, is not a great deal. 

Beware of credit cards! 

Naps are good for you. 

Education is worth fighting and scrimping and saving for -- and it is something no one can ever take away from you. 

A good work ethic will see you through every day.  On the other hand, a planned early retirement to live at the beach is a sweet way to live your life. 

But most of all, Dad taught me that love doesn't have to be spoken in so many words; a person's actions will always show their love for you more than a few flowery phrases.  Dad has never had to say that he loves me, I know he holds me deep and true in his heart.

I'd also like to add a couple of things I have been blessed to learn from my husband's Father too. Pop is a retired school teacher- a natural teacher!  Most important of all, I have learned the importance of a deep and abiding faith from Pop.  He is one of the most spiritual people I know, and his example is a shining star to me. 

Pop has taught me patience with illness, with hearing loss, and to quietly observe the world around me.  He and I share a love of the coast; and he has shared his memories, his knowledge of the weather, the winds, and the tides, and best of all, he has taught me how to handle a boat, a lifelong dream for me.  He has taught me about his travels with my mother-in-law, and of all the wonderful places they've been and encouraged me to travel as well.  He has taught me so much about the importance of family, about being there with family through the good times and the hard times, because that is the way it is supposed to be.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

"My father taught me that, along with the drip pan, new oil and filter, have a stack of rags on hand when changing the oil in the car. My father taught me to give a firm handshake, how to to store filled water balloons in a bucket of water so they don't pop before you're ready to use them, and that paper plates and paper cups can be rinsed and re-used and that paper towels can be removed from the trash to dry and use again if they've only been used to wipe water off of clean hands. This has been fun to think through - thanks for the idea!
Dianne Aguilera
Ellicott City

I am the only son of a  (now deceased) Baltimore City Fire Department captain.  My dad was a singer of homemade ditties.  He would constantly make them up, incorporating subjects relating to our family as the days went on, blending a mixture of old ('30's & '40's) standards, church hymns and newer ('60's) songs. I speak to my oldest sister every other Sunday and we take turns answering the phone with one of dad's ditties, some of which the other may have forgotten.  My guess is that the message was: :"Thingss can never be so bad that you can't sing a song."  I tend to sing my own made-up songs, although my repertoire is not as extensive (or creative) as dad's!  . . . The other thing that dad, a lifelong Democrat, always impressed upon me, when it came time to vote in either local or national elections:  Pick the candidate whose views and policies you agree with -- REGARDLESS OF PARTY AFFILIATION."
David Heise, Sr.

My father (Milton S. King) gave me the gift of optimism. He woke up each day with discovery. He taught me to love travel, new experiences, sharing  and to love people. I was his light and he was my shining star. In the late 50's he and my mother divorced, I was 9. He was granted full custody of me. Years after he was married again, my stepfamily thought my name was "Mylinda" as that is how he referred to me.  He has been gone for 22 years, but not a day goes by that I don't share his beliefs! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts.
Linda A. Foster 

My father taught me that the best way to influence others is to never tell them what they should do. When I decided to major in political science in college, my Dad never told me I should take up accounting, or something useful like that.  A lot of years have passed by since then and, ironically, I'm an accountant now.  Which leads me to the second most important thing my Dad taught me, never say "I told you so".
Karen Richmond
Baltimore

The most important things I learned from my dad, Ralph deRosa, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., were: How to live life with integrity, honor, and his Catholic faith, and how to die with dignity, strength, peace and faith in his God. My father taught his seven children and 18 grandchildren the importance of love and respect in this world. He was surrounded for the last three years of his life, when he was bedridden from a stroke and gradually lost all of his abilities to walk and talk, by his wife and family. Throughout his 86 years on this Earth, he taught us how to live by his example of generosity and unselfishness. Happy Fathers Day, Dad.  We miss you.
Linda Boehman
Frederick

HAVE PRIDE IN YOUR HERITAGE.  Growing up, Dad tortured us with listening to Polish music every Sunday morning.  We would beg for him to change the radio channel. My brother and I were dragged to polka lessons at St. Casmir's growing up. I consider it now one of my fondest childhood memories. . . . Dad taught me to TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN FAMILY TRADITIONS SO ONE DAY YOU CAN PASS THEM ON TO YOUR OWN FAMILY.  Dad was one of a family of five boys and two girls.  He was the only one to learn many of the Polish recipes his mother once made (and) continue to share them today. Today, holidays would not be the same had Dad not taken the time to learn these things.  . . . Dad has shown me the importance of maintaining physical activity into adulthood.  It benefits one's entire self physically, mentally, and in his case, financially (both he and my brother referee rec lacrosse and football).
Jennifer Cieslak
Cockeysville

 

 

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In honor of Father's Day and fathers everywhere, we offer our readers' responses to the prompt: What did you learn from your father? Our mailbox runneth over with kind, funny and even inspiring letters. Thank you. Here is a good sampling to get you in the mood for Father's Day. More to come in Sunday's column, and in this Blog over the next two days. We will also have a Father's Day comment board where you can offer your own answers to the question: What did I learn from my father?

My husband and I are very blessed to have come from families with very involved fathers.  The top three things my dad has taught me (so far) are:
 
3)  Do not be afraid of snakes.  Just know when to leave them alone.
2)  Have enough funny family stories to fill every holiday; the best ones are about the cat.
1)  Take pictures with your sisters: in front of the door, by the pond, under the tree, and at the beach.  Always take one "nice one" (for Mom) and then one "funny one" (for the rest of us!).  Where would we be without those pictures with all the silly faces?
 
My son (who turns three this week) is already a whiz in the kitchen.  He and my husband do all the cooking.  Charlie's top three things his dad has taught him are:
3)  Grocery shopping with Dad ALWAYS means you get a cookie.
2)  The "five second rule" is the gospel truth.
1)  The bigger the mess, the better it tastes!
 
Thanks!  This was a fun project to write!
Lauren Player, Halethorpe

My Dad taught me several things, one funny, one not. He taught me the gift of sacrifice, as he drove me to and from our home in Frederick to Baltimore on lonely college weekends, and he did the same for all my siblings. He took me to Orioles games when he abhorred baseball, and also broke down and let us get a dog, then a second one, when all the while he hated dogs. And who took the German Shepherd out to poop once her rear end gave out?  Dad.
I owe so much to Frank O'Leary, but was he perfect? Sorry, Dad, No way! When I was a lad, I saw him eating raw oysters from a pint container and begged for one. He gave it to me, without any cocktail sauce. It tasted terrible, just as he intended. Years later, he told me "You weren't ready for the lesson in supply and demand!" Now, we cherish our joint seafood moments with crabs and oysters. I have been blessed!
Mike O'Leary

My father - Dan Holtzman - has taught me:
-To treat everyone fairly.
-To love family
-To value education  & reading
-To love sports especially baseball
-To seek justce
-To seek truth
-To respect our religion - Judaism - and to respect
everyones right to worship [or not to worship] in
their own way
-To show me through his example how to be a good
husband and father
-To revere the law especially the US Constitution and
the ten commandments
-To question authority and to be especially critical
of our political leaders when they lie to us or break
the
law
-To love music
-To want to learn about history
-To care for art both man-made and natural
Allan Holtzman

My dad, Hugh Coyle, taught us that honesty was the best policy, that we should 'tell the truth and shame the devil.' He taught us the value of hard work, first in school and later in the real world.  Had I kept at golf, which we all learned at his side, hard work would ring true there too.  :)  Dad also taught us the value of saving money and never getting into debt.  Actually, the only 'good' debt was a mortgage - owning your own home gave you both a place to live and an investment in your future."
Jane Coyle Ballentine
Baltimore

My father was Joe Muth, Sr. He was a man who dedicated himself to providing for his wife Joan and children, nine. And if that weren't enough, he and his wife fostered many-a-child and also gave exchange students a place to call home. Man people, no matter race, religion, culture were welcomed in our home.
He was a man where three things were of importance to him -- God, family and friends. He was a father who believed in listening to what a child had to say, to work through a problem, to never go to bed angry. He taught what was right and what wasn't. . . . He worked his entire life, even with the on-set of Alzheimer's. He gave to you his smile, with sincerity, friendship and love.  With Honor, Respect and Love I work hard everyday to remember my father through every action of my own, and though I may have hit a few walls, my father still holds me to another day. 
Kathleen Muth
Baltimore

 

Even back in the "olden days" of the 40's and 50's I was never told that I couldn't do something because I was a girl, so I've never been afraid to try anything that I wanted to try (and have enjoyed a lot of happiness and success as a result).  Aside from that, the five most important things my father taught me are:
Life isn't always fair -- but it's mostly what you make of it, and is pretty great anyway.
Don't waste your time and energy on hate -- if you really dislike someone, ignore their existence.
Keep your promises.
Stick by your principles, but don't be stupidly stubborn -- and people do recognize the difference.
Always stand tall, and act like you know what you're doing -- even when you're not so sure you do.
Dayle Dawes
Arnold

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 1:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Wondering wha's up with the Next Generation? I guess I mean Generation Y. In J-Rod's case, it might be Generation Z. Anyway, J-Rod is this 14-year-old girl I know, and she's, like, on summer vacation from school, so I suggested she blog-along with me. Here, for starters, are J-Rod's mid-June Top Tens, the first in a summer series of blogarithms from my teenaged, trend-watching daughter.

Top Ten songs
1) Foundations- Build Me up, Buttercup
2) The Format - Dead End
3) The Faces- Oh La La
4) Elliot Yamin- Wait for You
5) Matt Costa - Sunshine
6) Fort Minor - Remember the Name
7) Peggy Lee - Fever
8) Temptations - My girl
9) Paolo Nutini - Last Request
10) Gym Class Heroes - Cupids Choke Hold
 
Top Ten Movies:
1) Little Miss Sunshine
2) The Holiday
3) Catch and Release
4) Chocolat
5) Deja Vu
6) How to lose a guy in ten days
7) Love Actually
8) Dream Girls
9) Tommy Boy
10) Happy Feet
 
Hot Old Men :
1) George Clooney
2) Richard Gere
3) Jude Law
4) Patrick Dempsey
5) John Stamos
6) John Travolta
7) Hugh Laurie
8) Johnny Depp
9) Mark Wahlberg
10) Hugh Jackman
11) Matthew McConaughey
 
Hot younger guys :
1) Channing Tatum
2) Jesse Spencer
3) Ryan Sheckler
4) Tom Welling
5) Orlando Bloom
6) Ryan Gossling
7) Pete Wentz
8) Apollo Anton Ohno
9) Patrick O'Brien Demsey
10) Trevor Blumas
 
Top Ten Shows:
1) House
2) Gilmore Girls
3) Grounded For life
4) What I like about You
5) Boy Meets World
6) Friends
7) Family Guy
8) My Wife and Kids
9) Seinfeld
10) How It's Made

Top Ten Stores:
1) American Eagle
2) H&M
3) Delias
4) Wave Dancer
5) Cloud 9
6) Brass Plum
7) Hollister
8) Pac Sun
9) Forever 21
10) Gap

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This Sunday is Father's Day and I want readers to contribute to my column.

Consider these questions: What did you learn from your father? What qualities -- goor or bad -- did you inherit from him?

We’ll read whatever you decide to submit by e-mail and consider publishing a selection of them in this space Sunday. If your stories are so personal that you feel uncomfortable being identified, let me know and provide a phone number. Send your stories to dan.rodricks@baltsun.com by midnight Thursday. Those of you who want to submit a list of “things my father taught me” on Father’s Day can go online Sunday and share your stories with others on a comments board at
baltimoresun.com/rodricks.

Remember: Submit by e-mail

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Lots of feedback on Sunday's column about the V-factor in Baltimore police salaries. Here's a comment from a reader named Ali Macris:

I agree 110% with: "Don't just hire more police; pay more, too." As a resident of the Canton community and someone who works in the city I see both ends of this problem. I have one client in particular who is a Baltimore City Police officer. During a recent conversation he informed me that he makes the same if not less than County officers. He had to pick my jaw up off the floor. What is to encourage officers to work in the city? Surely not the higher level of violence.

This past Saturday night, in front of my home I awoke to four teenagers drinking and screaming around midnight. Scared to go outside I decided to call the police for assistance. Now I understand this may not rise to gun violence but my whole neighborhood awoke to this display outside. When I called at midnight the dispatcher assured me she was sending an officer. At 12:15, as the teenagers got louder and began vomiting in the street, I called once again to ask if an officer was coming. Again, I was assured they were "on their way" by the dispatcher. At 12:30 I again called. At 12:45 I called and asked to be transfered to the precinct where I was told by the gentleman there that the district was "short-handed" that evening. Finally, my 75-year-old neighbor went outside and the teenagers left for a brief period of time. I am still waiting for an officer to show up -- three days later. I hope if I am ever in a desperate situation and I call the SEPD the person on the other line won't tell me "Sorry we're short handed."

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Check out this Washington Post story on the effort by DC police to flood the bad zones and make an impact on crime in the nation's capital. Then ask: Why are the mayor of Baltimore and certain City Council members here talking about reigning in police OT, especially with the force at 300 below full staff?

Post story

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I've been looking at crime in Baltimore (always a topic of discussion) and the rate of violence in relation to the number of police officers in the BCPD. The city is understaffed. As reported in a recent column, the operative number for budgeted police slots is 3,200. Fact is, the city only employs about 2,900 officers.

"I'm told that, actually, they only budgeted for 3,118 officers," Paul Blair Jr., head of the police union, told me a couple of weeks ago. "So, that's 82 positions they didn't budget for. Now, the last number I saw was 2,932 officers on staff. But 50 of those are cadets - that is, city employees who are learning to be police officers, and they're not used on the street."

Little wonder the city has to pay so much in police overtime each year.

The FBI listed Baltimore as second in murders in America this past week. This is one of the most violent cities in the nation.

There's a serious V-Factor in this town.  V-Factor is my invention. It's a very simple way of measuring how much our police should be paid. Considering what we ask them to do in Baltimore, they are underpaid, particularly relative to how much their counterparts in the safer suburbs make.

V-Factor is based on the total annual violent crimes (murder, aggravated assault, robbery and rape) per jurisdiction and the total number of sworn police officers (on and off the street) per jurisdiction. V-Factor provides a ratio: The number of violent crimes per cop per year.

Take 2006. According to the feds, Baltimore had 10,816 violent crimes. It had about 2,900 sworn police officers. That's a V-Factor of 3.73.

Baltimore County, with 5,664 violent crimes and 1,889 sworn officers, had a V-Factor of 2.99.

Howard County, with 615 violent crimes and 386 officers, had a V-factor of 1.59.

(Anne Arundel County's police staticians were on vacation this past week, so I don't have that county's 2006 crime or personnel numbers. No one from the State Police returned my call requesting this info Friday, either. We'll V-Factor Anne Arundel another time.)

The point is obvious: Baltimore is more violent than any of its suburban neighbors. In 2006, there were nearly twice as many violent crimes in Baltimore City than in Baltimore County. V-Factor in Baltimore City is 20 percent higher than V-Factor in Baltimore County.

And yet, starting pay for an officer in Baltimore County is $40,249, while in the city it is $39,103. Howard County starting salary is $40,832.

Less pay, higher V -- no one wonder the city constantly has a staffing shortage.

Based on V-Factor in Baltimore, relative to police salaries in the nearest surrounding jurisdiction (Baltimore County), starting pay for a city officer should be: $48,298 (20 percent more than the starting pay in Baltimore County).

That's an increase of $9,195 per officer, across the board. That would cost the city about $26.6 million more.

Hiring another, say, 200 officers at $48,298 would cost another $9.65 million.

That's a total of another $36.25 million.

The increase could be phased in over three years, maybe even faster -- considering that we don't have the full number of budgeted positions anyway, and considering the amount of OT we pay. The city can find this money. This year, the city paid out roughly $20 million alone in police overtime costs, and there have been several supplemental expeditures like that in recent years. The city has had a budget surplus for three consecutive fiscal years. We have $82.5 million in a rainy day fund.

Phase out a lot of the overtime, introduce the new salaries. We can afford this. It's money well-spent. No citizen of Baltimore is going to complain about the city hiring more cops and paying them more. This is what mayoral candidiates should be talking about -- cops -- until they are blue in the face.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 5:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The commercials produced for the city's new media campaign aimed at preventing risky sex among teenagers in the midst of one of the nation's worst AIDS epidemics are well-produced, provocative and effective. We saw them yesterday in City Hall. Every TV station in town should run them, and frequently -- and free of charge, as a public service. I wrote to each of the stations' managers tonight asking if they would -- or if they'd charge for the air time. Can't wait to read the responses.

The Baltimore metropolitan area has the second highest rate of new HIV infections in the nation. Here's a link to Jon Bor's story on the launch of the campaign.

Here's a link to the campaign web site. You can see the PSAs there.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

 . . . at 1401 Register Avenue Towson. It's an abandoned Getty station -- now a repair shop. Sorry if I got you excited. But, look, just for the experience, pull up to the old pump and look up at the outdated sign: Regular Unleaded $1.91 a gallon. You can sit there and have a reverie, a daydream of kinder, gentler fossil fuel days gone by.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

From reader Cynthia Guarino:

Just wanted to let you know that the snowball stand on Joppa Road is open.  I don't think it's called My T Fine anymore, but it's open!

I love my readers. Please, y'all. . . . keep in touch!

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This is it, baby. Tonight. The Mighty Ducks soar over the frozen pond! I hope they've invited Emilio Estevez to be there.

Channel 11, 8 p.m.

I know: Canada needs the Stanley Cup. It's been too long. But Ottawa kinda blew this one. Everyone, except maybe Barry Melrose, expected them to dominate. And here come the Ducks, surprising everyone -- or at least me.

I just wish Gene Autry had lived to see this.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Baltimore City Health Department has named an award after the late Dr. Sebastian Russo and the first award will be presented by the mayor at 10 this morning.

I drive past St. Dominic Church in Hamilton, Northeast Baltimore, now and then, and each time I do, I remember Sebastian Russo, the last of the "five-dollar docs." I attended his funeral at St. Dominic's 26 years ago -- Feb. 27, 1981. Dr. Russo treated many patients with no expectation of being paid. He had no computerized billing system. He had no weekend answering service; people could call him at any time, and he'd answer the phone. He avoided prescribing drugs as a quick solution to ailments. Sebastian Russo visited the old and the sick. He was a doctor without borders -- he treated anyone who walked in, the priest at his funeral said, even "a thuggy creature from the street." Someone like that killed Sebastian Russo. Someone carrying a concealed weapon shot the doctor in his office on a Friday night, and though police have never solved the crime, they suspected that the killer was an addict looking to steal drugs, or money for drugs. Dr. Russo died in the line of duty.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

More responses to Sunday's column continue to come in by e-mail and phone. Here's another:

I am in full agreement with you on this one.  I do think there is one major thing that you left out though.  Part of the magical solution to getting through to these "young men" is to have these "older men" step up to the plate and show the young guys what it really means to be a man. 

I have this discussion with a friend of mine quite a bit.  As successful, productive men in society, we have to be willing to grab these young guys by the collar and show them what it takes to really be a man.  They think that shooting someone makes you tough and/or "hard".  They don't understand that, like you said, any coward can pick up a gun but it takes a real man to either walk away or peacefully work out his problems.  Part this whole problem is that we are so weak as an adult society that we have become afraid to say anything to the younger generation.  Personally, I am only 30 yrs old but I have no problem correcting a younger guy when I see him doing wrong.  If more men would take this stance with the younger generation, I think you may see things start to change...at least a little bit.

Jimmy R. Lewis, Jr.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

What was that last night during NBC's telecast of the fourth Stanley Cup final game between Ottawa and Anaheim? It was two muttonheads, Brett Hull and Don Cherry, spouting off about how there aren't enough fights in hockey. I think Hull actually said fighting was "the most honorable thing in hockey" or some nonsense like that. And he and Cherry went on and on about it . . .   and on and on.

Here is one of the best series ever -- certainly the fastest-moving one ever -- with great plays, great action . . . and here are these two guys going off about how NBC and the NHL are losing audience because they don't encourage fights. There were some wild and freaky goals, some incredible plays -- plenty of highlights to show and talk about, with the score tied at 2-2 -- and yet we had an intermission "report" that sounded like a couple of sour old hosers in a Nipissing ice-fishin' hut.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

US Attorney Rod Rosenstein, whose office has been putting pressure on Baltimore gangs and career criminals, responds to today's column:

I share the frustration reflected in your column this morning.  I believe that the way to change the culture is to recognize that although it is fanciful to think about rewiring brains, it is relatively easy to wire them in the first place.  We cannot change the culture of violence by focusing just on the young adults whose brains are already wired the wrong way.  The best thing we can do to stop adult criminals is to put them in prison or convince them that they will go to prison if they get caught with a gun.  No bail.  No probation.  No parole.  That requires changing our law enforcement policies, not the culture.  For most hardened killers, it is too late to change their wiring.  Changing the culture means finding a way to stop the next generation from becoming criminals in the first place.

Changing the culture of violence requires us to focus on the children whose brains are not yet wired.  Most of today's violent criminals were impressionable children just a very few years ago.  They were not predestined to turn into dangerous criminals.  They learned from what they saw around them.  Today, the city is filled with innocent children who are modeling themselves on their friends and neighbors.  Most of those children are not predestined to become criminals.  Too many of them will become criminals if we don't alter the incentives that lead them down the road to violence and despair.  Children see violent drug dealers earning money.  When the criminals get arrested, children see them get released back to the streets, time after time.  Children see law-abiding citizens intimidated by criminals.  It is not supposed to be that way.  If you want to know why 18 year old men are committing murders, look at what 10 year old boys are learning.

We need police and prosecutors and politicians to get the violent adult criminals off the streets and keep them off the streets if they get caught with guns.  If we close the revolving door and keep dangerous criminals in jail, children will learn that crime does not pay and honest citizens will feel safe cooperating with police.  Law enforcement is supposed to prevent crime, not just catch criminals.

Then we can enlist schools, churches, community organizations, family members and neighbors to spread the word that drug dealing and violence are shameful and unacceptable, and by the way will get you exiled to prison.  You change the culture by focusing on the children.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Regarding yesterday's violence at the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore . . . I was there just little more than a year ago, in more peaceful and promising times, and filed this report:

Cultivating their future
Inmates find peace and ponder life after prison in a meditation garden

Published on Thursday, May 11, 2006
© 2006 The Baltimore Sun

   They renamed the old, scary Maryland Penitentiary a few years ago and changed its purpose. It's now called the Metropolitan Transition Center, a place where inmates go when they are in the last couple of years of prison time. Given its purpose and potential, it's probably one of the most important  institutions in Baltimore - a crossroads where men who once caused so much trouble in their home communities either beat the devil or re-up.
   Some inmates - the assistant warden thinks it's about a third of the 1,537 men housed there this week - remain trapped in the thug mentality that put them behind bars to begin with; they just do their time and mark the calendar.
    But a significant number of others, usually older, try to shake their destructive ways and prepare for a successful return to free society. They take advantage of the educational and therapeutic services offered to them while in the center.
   Or at least they think about it.
   These days, you might see some of them planting pansies, spreading mulch or watering the new lawn out in the prison yard.
   You might see them - ready for this? - sitting quietly on a wooden meditation bench, contemplating where they've been and where they're going.
   They might even enter their thoughts in a journal that stays in a cubbyhole under the bench.
   "This community garden restores my serenity with each passing day," an inmate named Robert Carpenter wrote in the journal shortly after inmates finished the first stage of a large landscaping project to convert the gnarly, gravelly prison yard into a vast, green meditation garden behind walls. "My mind creates dreams ... all will be fulfilled one special day."
   "Nature gets stressful thoughts off my mind," another inmate wrote just a few days ago. "Planting, watering, growing my way back into society, so I can blossom and shine once again."
   Hard to believe, but there it is - on the grounds of what state officials and historians consider the oldest continuously operating prison in the Western Hemisphere. Where once were prison factories, then a sprawling, sloping prison yard, inmates have graded, planted, watered and raked. They've built walkways with stone taken from the demolition of part of an old building.
   They've made meditation steppingstones out of concrete and pieces of tile and shell. ("Watch Your Character, It Becomes Your Destiny," reads the inscription on one.)
   The inmates have raked out sand and mulch, spread landscaping stone, constructed raised garden beds and built something that looks like a wishing well. (It might end up being a goldfish pond, according to Corrections Officer Richard Kelly Jr.) They built a beach volleyball court and horseshoe pits.
   They did it all by hand.
   The state says that this garden and one like it at the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland are the first two prison meditation gardens in the United States. Created with support and funding from the Annapolis-based TKF Foundation and Baltimore's Parks and People, it will be officially opened at a ceremony today.
   The transformed prison yard is a point of pride among the inmates who worked on the project - some of whom have since left the place - and the staff of the institution, from the correctional officers to the warden, Gary Hornbacker, and assistant warden, Carolyn Atkins.
   Atkins had some of the men who worked on the project express in writing what the garden means to them, and yesterday I met most of them, dressed in standard prison gray and denim, in the shade of a wooden shed next to the walking track that rings the new lawn.
   "I actually built my character and had a good learning experience," wrote Linwood "Woody" Kroger, 32, from Charles Village, due for release next summer.
   "The horticulture program has given me an opportunity to pick up a lot of different skills that I can use when I get home," said Antonio Fowlkes, 27, due for release in September.
   "It has given me a better outlook on gardening and landscape," wrote Raphael "Ray-Ray" Richardson, 27, who has three years to go on his sentence.
   "It has given me peace of mind," wrote Sylvester Lewis, 41, from East Baltimore, due for release in 2009.
   "The horticulture program gives me pride in the work I have done," wrote Tyrone Bryant, 26, from West Baltimore, due out next year. "I can go into a project and complete it like a job on the street. "
   A lot of these men never had real jobs.
   "I never did," said Wayne Gross, 41, from East Baltimore. "I never planted flowers. I feel good, being part of something like this."
   The unofficial foreman on the project, Colin Freeman, and other inmates said they are likely to go into the landscaping business or horticulture when they earn release from the Department of Corrections.
   "The horticulture program has helped me with job training, hands-on experience and good work ethics," wrote Ronnie Hopkins, 27, from South Baltimore, due for release next year.
   "It's had a positive impact on me, and it could help others coming through this place find peace of mind," Freeman added.
   The assistant warden hopes the opportunity to sit and meditate in slightly greener surroundings inside the big, old walls will help some inmates shake the thug-think. Some are hellbent on a return to street life, no matter the risks of violence and death. Others are in their thinking somewhere between the old ways and a desire for a better life. "They want to live," Atkins said. "They just don't know how yet."
   Maybe a little time on a wooden bench, with flowers and grass growing nearby, will help them figure it out.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Several of my colleagues at The Sun worked their final day yesterday, having chosen to take buyout offers from the downsizing company that employs us and to move on. It was a depressing day. I have seen too many good people leave the paper in recent years, and this time there were 16 who left the newsroom, the sports department and business news and features, all in one day. Some of these people go back to the old Evening Sun with me -- back 30 years. Talented writers, smart and informed citizens, great friends, most still too young for retirement. I wish them all well, of course. But I wish they were staying longer. I think most would have, had circumstances been different. It's a very sad thing for me personally and for readers of the Sun.  

Here's my earlier comment on the state of things in the newspaper biz. And, after your read that, check out this essay on the same subject from the Wall Street Journal.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)