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 | | 
Have a burning question related to San Francisco State's history?
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