Letters to the Editor

Published the week of June 21-27, 2000

Comments (0) Wednesday, Jun 21 2000

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DESKBOUND ON DELMAR
Could it be that D.J. Wilson is jealous of Charles Jaco? Jaco is or has been a novelist, war correspondent, network-news anchor and a radio talk-show host. And having heard him speak on several occasions, I might add that he is a dynamite presenter as well.

What have you been doing with your life, D.J. Wilson? It sounds like you are deskbound on Delmar with maybe an occasional trip to the East Side's strip zone.
Bill German

I am a great admirer of D.J. Wilson. His article two weeks ago on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was a gem.

However, it distressed me to note his sarcasms against Charles Jaco ("Short Cuts," RFT, June 14). In my opinion, Mr. Jaco is the only local newsperson/interviewer on radio who possesses competency and impartiality, and St. Louis is lucky to have him here.
Justine Eiseman

MISSING THE BOAT
Melinda Roth, like many writers who write about the city of St. Louis, really needs to get away from her designer clothes and well-kept straight blond coif and really find the city. Live in the city -- tens of thousands of people her age and income bracket do.

Her lack of knowledge of the city is best seen in her article about the Admiral ("The Albatross," RFT, June 7). That boat was a great success from 1937 (I'm sure that's the inaugural year) until it developed the "unseaworthy" hull. For more than 30 years, it was the main attraction of the riverfront during that time. Of course, she doesn't know; she's too young. A primary item to consider is that the repairs on the hull could have cost only $1.5 million. The subsequent owners have sunk, I guess, over 50 times that much, judging from the article, to have something much less than it originally was.

Oh, where is that calliope? Where are all those things that made the Admiral the Admiral (which it really isn't now)? Ms. Roth should investigate more. And there's the item of gambling -- as if people are obstructionists who oppose it. Hey, lawyers working with bankruptcies see a huge increase in these since riverboat gambling came in.

Imagine the support all the rest of the economy would have had without this.
Dale M. Cannon