|
Letters to the Editor
November 4, 2009
Augelli’s Inspiration Saved Isle’s Library
October was American Archives Month, a reminder of the importance of those documentary records that speak to who we are, from whence we’ve come and where we hope to go. It is a reminder to keep those things safe and an opportunity to recognize the value of our archival institutions.
Those of us who know and love Galveston’s Rosenberg Library are well aware of the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Ike, which destroyed the children’s department, many other departments and several functions.
Many of us also know that the library’s archives and museum on the third floor were unharmed. The Galveston and Texas History Center — keeper of the community’s memory — was spared.
What is less commonly known is that, had it not been for the perseverance of John Augelli, the library’s executive director, the archives outcome would likely have been very different. He remained in the library during the storm and immediately implemented recovery efforts.
His sound planning, quick and decisive actions, and unrelenting work prevented the contaminated water and rank, humid air from destroying the historic records.
The Galveston community owes a huge debt of gratitude to John Augelli for saving its history.
Carol Wood
Galveston
Pappous’ Education Theories Are Myopic
In his guest column “Stop this indecent class division” (The Daily News, Oct. 25), Norman Pappous wrote: “The data is clear, definitive and irrefutable, children who are raised in public housing projects suffer academically. Children of the same IQ who are raised in family neighborhoods prosper academically.”
The data is usually clear. What you do with it is not so clear.
Pappous suggested that an end to public housing and a general dispersal of its children into “all” neighborhoods would somehow affect their school performance, IQs being equal. That isn’t true. Dozens of causalities shape educational performance.
Pappous decried class divisiveness but a quick trip through Sociology 101 will reveal that undereducated, low-income, semi-literate folks end up with higher involvement in crimes, drugs, generally poor choices in life, single-parent homes and despair. They create children with identical problems.
This is not a location problem. It is a cyclic socio-economic event. Moving them to a new home in a nice neighborhood is not the cure. There have to be several dozen cures. That’s why the problem is intractable.
For Pappous to suggest we can just stop having classes of people is as myopic as his dispersed-housing-equals-educational-performance theory.
David Johnson
Galveston
An Update On Crime Data For Galveston
At the time Galveston Open Government Project compiled its article “Housing authority’s policies don’t match reality” (The Daily News, Oct. 28), our crime data was incomplete.
We now have the confirmed data for the period Sept. 1, 2007, to Sept. 1, 2008.
The numbers of calls for service, which count any resident contact with the police, including activities that do not count as crimes and everything that is logged in as a crime, were:
• Cedar Terrace, police grids 43 and 48, 1,425;
• Palm Terrace, police grid 60, 2,501;
• Magnolia Homes, police grids 15 and 17, 1,061;
• Oleander Homes, police grids 74 and 75, 4,400;
• Total for the areas containing and surrounding the four housing projects, 9,387; and
• Total for the city of Galveston, 101,747.
Of all calls for service in the city of Galveston, 9.23 percent were for the areas containing and surrounding the four housing projects.
The numbers of case reports, which count everything logged in as a crime and, therefore, are much more serious than calls for service, were:
• Cedar Terrace, police grids 43 and 48, 453;
• Palm Terrace, police grid 60, 569;
• Magnolia Homes, police grids 15 and 17, 270;
• Oleander Homes, police grids 74 and 75, 1,266;
• Total for the areas containing and surrounding the four housing projects, 2,558; and
• Total for the city of Galveston, 12,018.
Of all case reports in the city of Galveston, 21.28 percent were for the areas containing and surrounding the four housing projects.
David Stanowski
Galveston
Back to top
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Letter |
Comment
|
|
 |
|
Write a letter
Submit your letter online for The Galveston County Daily News opinion page.
Recent Letters
• November 21
• November 20
• November 19
• November 18
• November 17
• November 16
• November 15
• November 14
• November 13
• November 12
• November 11
• November 10
• November 9
• November 8
• November 7
Services
Letters: Send your thoughts to The Daily News.
Extra: Get weekday updates of The Daily News headlines and breaking news.
Subscribe: Get The Daily News delivered to your door or mailbox.
|
