February 26-March 3, 2004

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Loving Leroy

It was with great pleasure that I read ["Walking the Beat," Debra Auspitz, Feb. 19, 2004].

As a very young couple, my husband and I had the pleasure of renting our first apartment from Leroy and Rosalyn Jenkins. While the landlord-tenant relationship lasted for six years, the personal friendship will last a lifetime.

Leroy and Ros not only served as our landlords but at times as our relationship counselor, Mom and Dad, surrogate grandparents, and great friends. They helped see us through all of the good and bad times that so many young couples experience. The day I arrived home from the hospital after giving birth to my oldest daughter, Leroy and Ros promptly came upstairs and filmed what would become my daughter's first home video. Darlene and Wanda (their daughters) offered parenting tips as well as the hand-me-down clothing that is custom in any family. This meant the world to me as a very young mother far away from her own family.

Not only is Leroy the Heart of the Franklin Institute, but he and Ros exemplify what good heart is.

Bruce, Aileen, Austen and Tyler Hamler
Via e-mail

Shooting off about The Shot

I'm writing in response to ["The Shot," Michael T. Regan, February 19, 2004]. First off: funny picture and caption. We have no problem making fun of ourselves or with others making fun of us.

But I do have to mention that the picture you took was for a charity show for the students of Villa Maria Academy. They raised over 40,000 pounds of food for our Y100 Camp Out for Hunger. In appreciation of that, we asked the band Something Corporate to play a private concert for them. This year's Camp Out raised over 66 tons of food for the Greater Philadelphia Food Bank, an organization that feeds the hungry in our own back yard.

Oh well -- back to the corporate toil, I've got Linkin Park records to listen to.

Dan Fein

Marketing and Music Director, Y100
Philadelphia

Stew Jersey

Yo, Howard! Its about time somebody came to their senses about that damned one-way neighbor Camden ["Operation Camden Freedom," Pretzel Logic, Howard Altman, Feb. 12, 2004]. I, for one, say we attack; after all, we have a police force that at one time could overrun Cuba. Hell, when we're bored we firebomb a whole neighborhood around here! Let's not forget that we even booed Santa Claus. But listen up, gots a plan! First we go after all of New Jersey (think big, I always say). We place operatives -- ya know, covert dudes in place as toll-takers and fruit hucksters on the Black Horse Pike. Please note these sleeper cells will be ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Then we get to Frank Lautenberg and brainwash him further into passing legislation that if anybody ever drank alcoholic beverages and engaged in premarital sex they can never own a firearm in Jersey -- ahhh, just think of the beauty of it -- disarming the police force, then it will be a cakewalk! I tell ya, it's a sure-fire winner -- did you ever wonder why they charge you to leave New Jersey but not to enter?

Steve Kepner
Via E-mail