
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 3, 1991                   TAG: 9103040286
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: D-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

YOUNG WOMAN EVENT NOT JUST AWARD

I WAS PLEASED to see your Feb. 10 article on the Virginia Young Woman of the Year event in Roanoke. I was disappointed, however, with its rather low-key, back-pages tone.

Isn't it worthy of notice that these young women are extraordinary examples of the ideals, the vigor, the ambition and the determination of their generation? Must a young person today commit some heinous crime or inflict some injury on society to rate front-page attention? Wouldn't praise for the qualities exemplified by these young women be encouragement for their peers, resulting in greater numbers of them striving to attain higher goals?

The Young Woman of the Year program celebrates the beauty of the brains and hearts of today's young women, rather than concentrating on the arrangements of their faces and their bodies. By focusing on the awards, the news media missed the most important aspect: that these girls live daily in the pursuit of excellence; that they are representative of the finest of their generation; that they are preparing to take on the challenges and opportunities offered by today's world.

In this time of uncertainty, worry and dread, it is uplifting to see such fine examples of today's young people, and to know that the future is in their hands. Please use your medium to encourage this excellence JOY M. SMITH PEARISBURG

by CNB