To the editor

I had to write and let you know how much I appreciated your fine article about The Voice and its beginnings (Feb. 20 issue, Page One).

You started this piece with the turbulent ’60’s and the Vietnam War (which I participated in), along with the changing values and mass rebellion of our youth. This backdrop was the perfect setting for starting a radical new approach for getting heard above the voices of established norms and helping many to find their way. It also introduced to your readers a remarkable man who found himself as a member of your college and a member of the first staff of The Voice.

What a story of hope and inspiration as I read through the abbreviated profile of Gary Owen and, later in the article, Dan Kubiske. Gary’s story was the one that touched me the most, with his remarkable turnaround coming from the illiterate high school dropout beginnings to the Michigan House of Representatives. Seeing how an English teacher, and first student newspaper adviser, encouraged him was the stuff that makes for great movies or books and certainly helped contribute to a feel-good moment for me just as well.

Your article was a long one, but once I started it there was no turning back. I devoured it and then returned to it many times to relive the excitement I found there. My thanks for the hard work you put into this endeavor and for making it so readable throughout. Not an easy thing to do with this long of an article, but you pulled it off with great style.