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

DATE: SATURDAY, June 18, 1994                   TAG: 9406270158
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

ON DEDMON'S TENURE AT RADFORD U

AS A FORMER staff writer who covered the education beat for another newspaper, I met and interviewed Donald Dedmon for articles relating to Radford University and about his future goals. Although my association with that newspaper lasted less than a year, I enjoyed covering university events and my casual encounters with Dedmon.

Therefore, it was with great sadness for me to read in the June 10 Roanoke Times & World-News about Dedmon's abrupt departure from the university in the wake of controversy and innuendo about financial mismanagement (``Dedmon leaves Radford'' by staff writer Allison Blake).

In my humble opinion, whatever transgressions committed by him during his tenure as president pale in comparison when his accomplishments during his 22-plus years at Radford University are taken into consideration.

NINO A. SYLMAR

ROANOKE

The sleeping giant got a wake-up call

REPLYING to your June 2 editorial entitled ``A splitting headache looms,'' which stated, ``The mere prospect of Oliver North's nomination for the U.S. Senate has been embarrassment enough'':

Alas, this pungent punditry - intended, I suppose, to shock and wither North's supporters - failed!

You may blame the religious-right- conservative-Christian-extremist-funda- mentalist (and rural) Virginians if you will, but note one thing: You, the liberal media, lied to the American people, and gave us the Clintons, Elders, Renos, ad nauseam, and raped our nation. This is embarrassment.

You woke up the religious-right- conservative-Christian-extremist-funda- mentalist, a sleeping giant. Were you at the convention? The whole world heard it from Richmond.

JANICE CAROL KELLY

VESUVIUS

A college education for dog grooming?

IF, AS Professor Bobbye G. Au suggests, ``Colleges are training students for a vocation'' (June 15 commentary, ``Work, character, standards are the keys to success''), maybe Roanoke College should take the lead in establishing such practical courses as salesmanship, chefs' training, and three semesters in cosmetology with an elective in dog grooming. It's obvious the good professor has missed the difference between training and education. Au's thoughts are particularly appalling, coming from a college that's regarded as a liberal-arts institution.

Large employers these days want computer-literate (vocational, maybe?) folks who can write well, think critically, and know who Edward Hopper Mondrian and Charlie Parker were.

BOB SHIELDS

ROANOKE

Let untold secrets remain untold

RECENTLY, two celebrities of our nation's political history, one famous and the other infamous, have passed away. Both received a flood of articles, tributes and anecdotes describing their long and productive lives.

Despite a political career flawed by scandal and treachery, Richard Nixon's memory was saluted by both past and present leaders. Upon her death from cancer, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis received an extensive tribute to her influence on American society by newspapers and magazines across the country. Other than their position as political celebrities, they both had one major thing in common - a Pandora's box of secrets.

What true part did Nixon play in the Watergate affair? Did Onassis know who killed John F. Kennedy? Did Kennedy really have an affair with Marilyn Monroe? If answered, these questions would provide one of the greatest media circuses of the century. Many in the media and public long to open these doors long closed and to solve some of the greatest enigmas of history.

I believe these secrets should be allowed to die with those who kept them. What's the point in reincriminating Nixon in the Watergate case? Though he wasn't the most virtuous of men, he at least deserves to rest in peace, free in death from rumors and accusations that tortured him in life. Also, there's no point in meticulously analyzing Onassis' life in the hopes of revealing some truths about the Kennedy family. Her style, insight and grace influenced an entire generation. But to leave her influence intact, the fascination with the fairy tale must come to an end.

KATHRYN L. BRAMMER

NEW CASTLE

Middle class already pay enough

I'M CONCERNED about discussions I've heard on taxing employer-provided health benefits. That would put a greater financial burden on middle-class workers.

Middle-class Americans are already picking up the tab on health care when you look at the wages we've sacrificed and the amount we pay to maintain decent coverage.

It's unfair to expect us to turn around and pay additional taxes for health care while we're facing lower wages, additional premium payments or higher out-of-pocket costs. It's even more of a slap in the face when you realize that we're paying these exorbitant costs because many employers do not provide health insurance for workers.

The solution isn't to once again tax the middle class. With its provisions for providing tax caps and subsidies for small businesses, an employer mandate is the only fair and equitable way to go.

T. HENRY HALE JR.

ROANOKE

by CNB