The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 72, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 6, 2001 Page: 4 of 12
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4A The Baytown Sun
Tuesday, February 6,2001
Opinion
INFO
*
jstahler@dncypo8t.com
®lie Paptohm &un
Founded 1922
Wanda Garner Cash, Editor and Publisher
Whitney Jones, Managing Editor
Richard Nelson, Asst. Managing Editor-Sports
Fred Hartman, Publisher Emeritus
1950-1974
Donations help keep
Y a valuable resource
FT"! here’s no telling how many
I times most of us have made a
JL statement similar to this: “If
kids had a place to go after school
and on weekends, they’d be a lot
less likely to waste so much time or
to get into trouble.”
Well, we have such a place. It’s
the Baytown Family YMCA, which
has served Baytown and surround-
ing communities since 1957. *
The Y has been a positive influ-
ence for thousands of youths and
families, but it can’t continue to be
part of the community without your
help. And now is the time to help,
during the Y’s annual Partners of
Youth fund-raising campaign. The
goal is $115,000.
The Y serves more than 400
youths every day. That easily makes
the Y the area’s largest child care
provider. Even teens are part of the
program. More than 1,200 teens
participated in older youth pro-
grams last year..
In addition, more than 40 percent
of the youths enrolled in YMCA
programs receive financial assis-
tance. Last year alone, there were
more than 4,600 requests for finan-
cial assistance.
More than 100 volunteers are
busy seeking your help throughout
the Baytown area. All of the money
they collect will stay in Baytown to
help the Baytown Family YMCA.
Because of your generosity, the Y
can achieve its goal of not turning
away one youth because of an
inability to pay.
Your donations are valuable, no
matter how small or large. For
instance, a $30 donation under-
writes two weeks of swimming
lessons for a child, or a $100 dona-
tion lets a child participate in two
months of gymnastics.
A donation of $300 provides four
weeks of child care for a preschool-
er, while a $1,000 donation sends
two high school students to a
national Teen Leadership confer-
ence.
So whether you can afford $30 or
$5,000 or more, every dollar
counts. Your donations will help the
Y remain a valuable part of the
Baytown area community, and help
teach youths five important values:
Respect, responsibility, honesty, car-
ing and faith. ’
For more information about
donating to the Partners of Youth
campaign, visit the Y at 201 Wye
Drive or call director Jim Haugen at
(281) 427-1797. The kids will thank
you.
Today’s editorial was written by
Whitney Jones, managing editor of
The Baytown Sun, on behalf of the
newspaper’s editorial board.
www.comics.com 0 2001 hw mca inr A
© 2001 by NEA, Inc.
AlOUT Us
Oil-editorial board
Die Baytown Sun’s editorial board meets
weekly at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Individuals are
encouraged to visit the editorial board to dis-
cuss issues affecting the community. To
make an appointment, contact Managing
Editor Whitney Jones, (281) 422-8302,
Members of the editorial board include:
Vtfenda Garner Cash, editor and publisher;
Whitney Jones, managing editor; Eric Bauer,
marketing director; Dee Anne Navarre,
business manager; and Richard Nelson,
assistant managing editor-sports.
Let us hear from you
The Baytown Sun welcomes letters of m to
300 words and guest columns of up to 500
words (Si any it§m of public interest Guest
columns should include a photograph of the
writer. V\fe publish only original material
addressed to The Baytown Sun bearing the
writer’s signature. An address and phone num-
ber not for publication should be included. We
ask that submissions be limited to one per
month. All letters and guest columns subject
toedrting.
The Sun reserves the right to refuse to pub-
lish any submission.
Letters endorsing or opposing political can-
didatesor issues will not be published within
two days of an election, except in direct rebut-
tal to a tetter previously published in The
Baytown Sun. Please send signed letters to: ,
Vifenda Garner Cash or Whitney Jones, The
Baytown Sun, P.0. Box 90, Baytown, TX
Or, fax them to: (281) 427-1880. Or, email
us at: surmews@baytownsun.com. 0
Commentary
It’s time to rediscover Amelia’s music
Fred Friendly, along with Edward
R, Murrow, created at CBS-TV the
most committed and resourceful
group of reporters and documentary
makers in the history of American
television. Fred used to insist that a
basic function of television is to edu-
cate.
When CBS began to fail in that
regard, Friendly resigned as presi-
dent of CBS News to teach at
Columbia University’s Graduate
School of Journalism. For years, he
presented on public television a
series of clashing panelists on “The
Constitution: A Delicate Balance.”
That venture taught many
Americans about why they are
Americans. And it was also enter-
taining, as Supreme Court justices,
prosecutors, defense attorneys and
journalists illuminated our liberties
through vigorous debate. Why isn’t it
still on television regularly?
In the Fred Friendly tradition, Ren
- Burns has educated and entertained
millions of people With his docu-
mentaries on the Civil War, baseball,
and, most recently, a 10-part series
called “Jazz,” all on public televi-
sion.
This is the first time a comprehen-
sive view of America’s gift to the
world has been presented on televi-
sion. The series, in which Bums tells
the story of jazz as it evolved
throughout our country’s history, is
riveting.
“Jazz” will be repeated on televi-
sion from time to time, and is likely
to be distributed in Europe. This
music has become a common lan-
guage everywhere. One of the
“hottest” jazz recordings I’ve heard
was by a band in Siberia.
What is most important, however,
is that (he Ken Bums organization,
with the support of General Motors,
is providing a curriculum based on
the series to schools throughout the
country—lesson plans, videos and
Nat
Hentoff
CDs — so that American youngsters
will no longer be culturally disad-
vantaged Most students, while
versed in rap and current rock, know
little or nothing of Louis Armstrong,
Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, John
Coltrane and other seminal contribu-
tors to the life force that is jazz.
One mistake in the lesson plans
distributed to schools is the sugges-
tion to “make jazz the focus of Black
History Month across the curriculum
in your schools.” The music and
biographies of the creators of jazz,
and the social and historical contexts
of their lives, should be a basic part
of American history. As should that
other distinctive American contribu-
tion to the world country music.
Jazz and country music are inextri-
cably interrelated. Willie Nelson,
Merle Haggard and Bob Wills’
Western swing band for example,
also have deep roots in jazz.
The Ken Bums series has been
sharply criticized by some of the
more insular jazz critics and by a
few musicians for what was left out.
I, too, have a list of jazz players —
including the always overlooked
women instrumentalists who have
been a vital part of the music —- that
I would have included But to show
an encyclopedic array would dimin-
ish the potential audience to the
already converted
When jazz musicians compliment
one of their colleagues, they say that
he or she knows how to “tell a
story.” So does Ken Bums. He is
able to tell the story of jazz by focus-
ing primarily — though by no means
exclusively —- on the key musicians
who shaped foe music. Among than
were the larger-than-life figures of
Armstrong, Ellington, Count Basie,' 'r
Lester Young, Charlie Parker and
Dizzy Gillespie.
I was interviewed for the safes
and am on camera briefly. From foe
knowledgeable questions of foe ; *;
interviewer, I quickly knew how “*■
much research wait into this under-
taking. My only complaint about the
series is that Bums rushed through
the last 30 years much too qufokjy .
The 10 episodes are available on J.”
PBS Home Video, and there is a
valuable illustrated book, “Jazz: A
History of America’s Music,” by Ren
Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward
(Knopf, 2000). Ward also collaborat-
ed with Bums on “The Civil War"
and “Baseball” television series. I
also strongly recommend foe five-
CD set “Ken Bums’‘Jazz’”
(Columbia/Legacy), which is a
remarkably wide-ranging collection
of vital performances by the musi-
cians featured in the television series,
and by other musicians. ’
Meanwhile, as I have reported in
The Wall Street Journal, all the
fifth-graders in the public schools "
of Sarasota, for the first time in
the nation, are learning a version
of American history that includes ’"
the history of jazz. Much of the
credit for bringing this about
belongs to 83-year-old Floridian “
Lucy White, who grew up listen-
ing to jazz in Harlem and helped“
bring it into the schools so that it
will be handed down to foe next
generation.
“I didn’t want it to be part only of 7-
black history,” she told me. “It
should not be separated from the rest
of the American story.”
Nat Hentoff is a nationally
renowned authority on the First
Amendment and the Bill of Rights.
L.
Letters
Letters
Need blessings for next 4 years
I’m writing in response to two let-
ters published in The Suh’s January
23, 2001, Letters section, one from
Sharon Alexander and one from S. F.
Guidry.
I ask them when did we, as a
nation, decide to vote for perfect
men (A1 Gore just couldn’t fit any-
one’s mold) to run our government?
When did we decide that the
President of the United States had to
have wings and a halo (how does
one register in this angelic party)?
When did we decide that a President
does not have to be very smart and
still be elected (as George W. Bush
was depicted many times in the print
and television media)? When did we
decide that not every vote counts?
When did we decide that our law-
makers should (aghast) not be impar-
tial? When did we decide to ignore
the Separation of State and Church
pi iiiv/ipiCT ,-4
There will be these and many more
questions unanswered until maybe 20
or 30 years down the road (NOT).
Who knows? And as for Alec
Baldwin, I guess it is justifiable to
ask him to leave the country, as it
appears he is deemed as a very
important person and he should keep
his word. However, I believe Baldwin
is only exercising his right to express
his opinion and surely does not need
me to defend him.
However, Guidry needs to check
into how many Americans actually
do live in other countries for many
reasons; economy, racism, less taxes,
capitalism, and the list goes on.
Maybe Guidry can accompany
Baldwin and check out American
livelihoods in some of those coun-
tries. It could be a good thing.
As for Alexander, thank you for foe
blessing. However, I believe we have
been blessed the last eight years with
all the prosperity the Clinton admin-
istration can claim. Nevertheless, we
will need all the blessings and prayers
this country can tolerate. We’re now
riding on President George Walker
Bush’s 'vehicle. Letk see how many
blessings we receive and how many
prayers our country will need to take
us through foe next four years. I hope
we’re all ready.
. eg uaj, n
tiiKia u maranez
Baytown
Texas
Governor
Rick Perry (R) 2002
State Capitol
P.0. Box 1242
Austin, Texas 78711
1-800843-5789
Lieutenant Governor
Bill Ratliff (R) (Appointed) 2002
State Capitol
Austin, Texas 78711
1800441-0373
Attorney General
John Cornyn (R) 2002
1800337-3928
Senator, District 4
David Bernsen (D) 2002
8778002312 281889-3066
Senator; District 6
Mario Gallegos (D) 2004
7138788600 512-463-0106
Senator, District 11
Mike Jackson (R) 2002
713-9488111 5124638011
Senator, District 15
John Whitmire (D) 2004
7138648701 5124638115
Representative, District 20
Zeb Zbranek (O) 2002 ’.....»
18004388202
Representative, District 127
JoeCrabb(R) 2002
281422-2233 5124638520
Representative, District 128
Fred Bosse (D) 2002
1800388-3359 7134538336
I
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Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 72, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 6, 2001, newspaper, February 6, 2001; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1022385/m1/4/: accessed July 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.