Remembering the life of artist Ruth Todd
Re: “Todd found her calling, and many objects, in art,” Sept. 21 obituary.
I met Ruth Todd in 1997. At that time, she was already 87, but still an active artist, working prodigiously in her home-studio on Kearney Street, mostly making remarkable little collages.
Since then, we became Harold and Maude, or more aptly, perhaps, Georgia O’Keeffe and Juan Hamilton. Every Sunday morning for eight years we shared candlelight breakfasts (invariably scrambled eggs, English muffins, ham or bacon, and lots of black coffee).
Her Southern background (North Carolina) required her to insist upon preparing the meals, until a few years ago when she began to burn food and set off the smoke alarms.
She was a pixillated, flirtatious (Scorpio), sublime character who mentored me in art and life – and in aging. Despite tuberculosis, a heart attack and a broken hip, among many physical setbacks, and being kidnapped as a young woman, assaulted on Colfax, and, in her opinion, too often overlooked as an artist because she was female, she sparkled, laughed and robustly made the most of every day.
A celebration of her life is scheduled for Saturday, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Sandra Phillips Gallery, 744 Santa Fe Drive.
Craig Marshall Smith, Highlands Ranch
Noise complaints near Centennial Airport
Re: “Residents raise Cain over Centennial Airport clamor,” Sept. 25 news story.
Those who buy houses near airports and then complain about those airports are forgetting the most important thing in real estate: location. The graph of noise complaints near Centennial Airport per calendar year would be better understood if the number of households in southern Arapahoe and northern Douglas counties had been similarly plotted and superimposed. Noise complaints at general aviation airports are generally the result of households encroaching on the airports, not by airports encroaching on neighborhoods. The noise footprint of the typical civilian jet has decreased; industry and federal standards make it so.
Accident rates at Centennial Airport have spiked recently and would seem to be an anomaly in the statistics. One is still many times more likely to be killed by an automobile driver on the highway than a pilot crashing into one’s house.
Like most other pilots based at Centennial Airport, I am mindful of noise-abatement procedures and teach good-neighbor habits to others. I only wish that communities and developers would strive to build as little as possible within the traffic areas of airports, which are important elements of their local economies.
Tony Pierce, Denver
…
Like art, information depends a lot on a person’s perspective, which is why I have to take exception with The Post’s article about Centennial Airport. The article reports that Centennial Airport leads the nation in accidents. While I question the source, statistics verified by aeronautics students at Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2005 show the airport to be rather average with approximately one accident for every 600,000 operations. Likewise, the article reports that noise complaints have increased 4,844 percent since 1985, but it does not say that, in an average year, 75 percent of those complaints come from just five households. While I do not wish to minimize the gist of the story, it is important to tell the whole story, not just one perspective.
Robert P. Olislagers, Executive Director, Centennial Airport
Battle in the 6th CD: Tancredo vs. Winter
Re: “The lion in Winter: Dem says he doesn’t fear Tancredo,” Sept. 20 news story.
As reported in a recent poll, Coloradans want a strong and sensible immigration policy. Yet Rep. Tom Tancredo continues to push for crazy and unworkable solutions to our immigration problems. We all know that Tancredo has focused only on immigration and has ignored all of our other problems. However, your article made it very clear to me that Tancredo has done nothing at all to truly help us solve our immigration problems. He has shown himself worthless to Colorado and America, on all issues. Even those with strong views against all illegal immigrants should take a hard look at what little Tancredo has done for anyone but himself. Bill Winter has a much more realistic approach to immigration; he also is concerned with fixing health care, education, national security, and many other critical areas Tancredo has ignored.
Rick Munoz, Littleton
I am a registered voter in the 6th Congressional District, and as such, I believe it is imperative that all voters in this district be fully informed about the experience and competency of the candidates vying for this congressional seat, as well as the candidates’ positions on the many controversial issues facing our district, the state of Colorado and the people of this country.
However, no debates have been scheduled between the Republican incumbent, Tom Tancredo, and his challenger, Bill Winter, despite Winter’s requests to debate.
I urge the electorate of the 6th District to put pressure on the candidates in this important race to hold a public and/or televised debate, where the voters of the district can question them regarding the numerous and in some cases complicated issues. Nov. 7 is rapidly approaching, and we need to know where these candidates stand.
Doug McKinnon, Highlands Ranch
Fighting malaria
Re: “DDT makes a comeback,” Sept. 25 editorial.
I understand that house-spraying with DDT in order to prevent malaria could be done, but it’s only good for one year, and is it worth the environmental degradation?
I am a member of Rotarians Against Malaria, and we advocate the use of insecticide-treated nets. Prevention is a key strategy, as 6,000 children die every day (mostly in Africa) from malaria.
It has been proven again and again that DDT works only once, not twice or thrice. Insects develop resistance. Insecticide-treated nets, in contrast, cover the same population with smaller cost. And at a cost of $5, a net can protect two children for five years. That equates to saving a child’s life at a cost of 50 cents per child per year.
Edward Blender, Edwards
Race for the Cure’s cost
The Race for the Cure will be held in Denver on Oct. 8. I am a breast cancer survivor, and for many of the last eight years, our family has participated in the race. This year, however, I am hesitant to sign up. At $30 a person, plus the requested additional $14 donation, plus light rail fees and a little food afterward, the cost is nearly $200 for our family. Each year, I see more people walking without the official entry numbers, so perhaps I am not the only person to find this rather expensive. May I suggest to the race organizers that a system of donor levels be instituted? Perhaps a $5 or $10 donation could merit a wristband, a $15 donation for a visor and a T-shirt purchase could be optional.
Kathryn Skosich, Littleton
Losing trust in judges
Re: “Vote ruling dims mood,” Sept. 24 news story.
I was convinced to vote “no” on term limits for judges because I believe that institutional memory is better than on-the-job training for judges. But after reading the mess that District Judge Lawrence Manzanares has created with the new, unproven electronic voting machines, I have changed my mind. I always knew that judges have legal qualifications, but I never knew so many lack common sense.
James Warner, Denver
Editor’s note: Amendment 40 would set term limits for state Supreme Court justices and appellate judges, not state district judges.
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