THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610180212
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letters
LENGTH: 150 lines
Why do we not hear more about those who touch the lives of others? It would certainly be a change from the many ugly, violent things we read.
On Saturday, Oct. 5, Dr. James LeRoy Morgan, retired pediatrician of Portsmouth, went to his final resting place. Although the details of his death are scant, the details of his life are not. This was a man who touched many lives.
Doctors come and go in our lives. We see and meet this one because of this illness or that one through a chance meeting in a civic or school or other meeting. The word ``doctor'' evokes a certain prestige; they seem to be classed a little above us, the ordinary citizens. We hold them in awe, as though they could do some of God's miracles for Him. I am sure they do.
Dr. Morgan was a young doctor in Portsmouth in 1956 when we returned from overseas as missionaries. We had three small children and were expecting our fourth. Life for us had been very simple, as we lived it in the third-world country of Pakistan. I cannot now recall who recommended him to us - perhaps it was my sister-in-law - but we went to him after our fourth child was born. I felt completely at ease with his manner. He was forthright, concerned, never in a hurry, and always seemed to know just what to do.
We went back to Pakistan in 1957 and had two more furloughs in the United States before returning for a longer stint in 1968. Each time, we returned to Dr. Morgan for our pediatric needs. He was our friend; we trusted anything he had to say, and he never let us down.
The oldest member of our family that he treated was my husband. Dr. Morgan happened to walk through the emergency room one morning just after my husband had been taken there with a kidney stone attack. Seeing Richard, he stopped to ask what the problem was. That problem was twofold: Richard had a kidney stone and was in agony, and we had no family doctor in the United States.
Dr. Morgan took the time to care for the situation and my husband very shortly was back home.
When our eldest son, Doug, was seriously injured in an incident on High Street in 1968, it was Dr. Morgan, along with Dr. Howard Wilkins, who provided such a measure of comfort for us in our hours of grief. At that time, all we knew was that our son might never see again. Somehow, these doctors, along with the rest of the Tidewater area, helped us understand they cared; they provided us with hope, and with the necessary prayer support that saw us through that long ordeal.
One night, about 1:30 a.m., David, the youngest of our five children, who was about 4 or 5 years old, had a nightmare. It was a terrifying experience for me; my husband was out of town and I was alone. I could not calm David down or comfort him. I became so frightened, and felt so helpless, that I telephoned Dr. Morgan.
He was unruffled; he very quietly and patiently explained what I should do. I did what he said, and David calmed right down, went back to sleep, and the next morning did not remember any of it. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to forget the whole thing, but no. Dr. Morgan called me about 9:30 a.m., wondering how David was. He then told me he was more concerned about me than about David.
There were so many more times, times when situations were difficult or when we needed a comforting voice during a child's illness. Doc Morgan always provided it. He had his secretary save samples and supplies we could use and take back with us to Pakistan, to use with the nationals. For all the things he did for us, he never charged us a penny. We served under what is called a ``faith mission,'' but it was Dr. Morgan's faith in what we were doing that so greatly enhanced that word ``faith.''
We last saw him during the Christmas season of 1995, when we just ``dropped in'' one day. He and his wife so warmly received us, and we reminisced for about an hour. He was the same he had always been, due in large part, I suspect, to a loving wife who so tenderly cared for his needs.
Doris, and the family, we share your grief today, and I am sure that I speak for many, many others who have loved you and appreciated the sacrifices of time and energy you have given on our behalf. Now that one of our own sons is a doctor, I realize more than ever what it takes to serve in this way.
May the God of all comfort comfort each of you. Please accept the love and prayers of the many who will long remember Dr. Jim. He was special in life. He touched a lot of lives, not the least of which was ours.
G.R. and M.V. Thompson
Hertford, N.C.
Oct. 7, 1996 Course on the rebound
As president of the Bide-A-Wee Golf Association, I would like to thank the city of Portsmouth and its employees for again making Bide-A-Wee Golf Course a place to be played and enjoyed.
At the beginning of the year, I, like everyone else, looked for somewhere other than Bide-A-Wee to play golf. The poor conditions made the golf course nearly impossible to play and definitely impossible to enjoy. As summer began, so did the work and improvements.
With each passing week you could see Bide-A-Wee's former self reappearing. I will admit that some weeks you had to look really hard to find some of them, but they were there if you knew where to look. The effort is now paying off. The fairways are in good shape, the greens are very playable, and an effort is being made to clean out the woods, which makes that errant golf shot recoverable.
The weekend of Sept. 21 and 22 the association held its championship tournament. The course in my opinion was in the best condition I have seen it within the last year. Thanks for the level effort displayed over the last couple of weeks to make our tournament a success. We all know there is a ways to go to make the golf course what everyone wants it to be. If the work continues the way it has over the last six months, the city of Portsmouth will have a golf course to be proud of and one to be enjoyed by everyone.
Bernie Rull
President
Bide-A-Wee Golf Association
Oct. 11, 1996 Debating city finances
Lately, Portsmouth City Council and the local papers have been trying to blame the financial woes of the city on the police and fire department pensions. I hope that the good people of the city of Portsmouth know not to believe everything they read.
The Virginian-Pilot pictured our former chief, Odell Benton, as one of the top four recipients in the system, receiving $66,000 a year. They failed to mention he served 49 years to get there. They also did not mention that a top paid police officer or firefighter makes $32,000 a year, 60 percent of that with 20 years service, will give him $19,200 a year. This is quite a contrast to the large figures reported.
These are a few other things The Virginian-Pilot article failed to mention. The 80 who retired in the last few years were higher-paid employees, who were replaced with the lowest-paid firefighters and police officers in Tidewater. The starting salary is $22,729; that's $4,356 lower than our brothers in Virginia Beach. Police and fire personnel endured four consecutive years without pay raises to help the city get on its feet. The budgets of both departments have been cut year after year.
In the fire department, we have ladder trucks almost 30 years old, when the safe operating life is 20 years. The fire department waited since the early '60s for a new fire station to better protect the Churchland area. Construction broke ground in 1995. Station 3 and Ladder Co. 2 were retired to help absorb some of the cost of the retirement system.
We risk all every day we work to make Portsmouth a better place. Studies have shown our jobs significantly shorten our life expectancy due to the incredible stress we endure on emergency calls. The rate of cancer and heart disease is exceptionally high among our retirees. This is a major reason most retirement systems for police and fire are gradually reducing the age requirements.
The record speaks for itself. We have seen business and industry leave Portsmouth year after year, taking much needed tax revenue with them and leaving empty lots and shopping centers behind. The Virginian-Pilot reports the moving of City Hall to open the waterfront development will cost as much as $20 million.
We live in the fastest growing region in the state, yet city planners consistently fail to lure new business. Drive to Suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk or the beach; they are broadening their tax bases. Why can't our leaders follow the examples of other area cities and lower the tax burden on the citizens of Portsmouth? It is evident that years of poor planning and lack of vision by city officials has burdened the taxpayers of the city of Portsmouth. The blame should not be shifted to those who dedicate their lives to protect the life and property of the citizens of Portsmouth.
Lt. Tomas A. Arroyo
Portsmouth Fire Department
Oct. 15, 1996 by CNB