| Poetic
Justice
I was extremely grateful for the recent celebration
of the Poetry Center's remarkable addition to our national literary
heritage. Thanks for helping spread the word ("The Beats
Go On," Fall/Winter 2003). My mother, Professor Ruth Witt
Diamant, the Center's founder, never wavered in her pursuit to
foster and stimulate the energy that poets and their work can
provide in our culture. With no formal schooling until she reached
the UC Berkeley campus in the '20s, she became a Phi Beta Kappa
in her junior year, an avaricious reader, and a beloved advisor
to thousands of students during a career at State that spanned
more than three decades. The University was lucky to have her
presence, still felt.
Stephen Witt-Diamant
B.A., '53; M.A., '63
Visalia
Sixty-Five
Thousand Radio Listeners Can't Be Wrong
I enjoyed the recent article on SF State's well-known radio host
("Reading, Writing and Radio," Fall/Winter 2003). Michael
Krasny is a Bay Area treasure. His show ranges across myriad issues
that no one else would dare touch and his interviews are meaty,
succinct, fair, and informative. He handles controversy with ease.
It is comforting to know that such a solid current affairs program
can exist in today's radio world.
John Hewitt
Professor
Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts, SFSU
Remembering
Larry Ching
Special "mahalo" to SFSU Magazine and
to Ben Fong-Torres for the article describing the recording of
Larry Ching's CD ("In the Studio With Larry," Fall/Winter
2003). I was fortunate to sing with Larry for three years in the
San Francisco Hawaiian chorus, Na Leo Nahenahe. We experienced
Larry's joy and fulfillment as he shared the news of this landmark
recording. Our chorus extends grateful thanks to Ben for making
the CD happen and for preserving Larry's charming voice for generations
to come.
Carole Issel
B.A., '64 (editor of the '64 Franciscan yearbook)
San Francisco
Fans
of Frances
Accolades! The article on Frances Mayes was fabulous!
("It Takes a Villa," Fall/Winter 2003). My two sisters,
Zarka (who enjoyed taking a class with Frances) and Ratka Popovic,
are both San Francisco State alumnae. I graduated from Cal
State Hayward, but we're all Frances fans. Glad to learn more
about her real-life transformations as well as the depictions
of her life in the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun." Keep
up the great work!
Bo Popovic
Novato |
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