LETTERS

NEWCOMERS GUIDE



THIS IS TO commend you on the fine work you have done on the 1984 D Magazine “Guide for Newcomers” [July]. The Chamber of Commerce would like to thank you for including Grand Prairie in your publication and spotlighting the attractions on your loca-tion maps. I believe the “Guide for Newcomers” will serve as an asset to the newcomers in Grand Prairie.

Judi Sieja

Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce



THERE SEEMS TO be a sad but obvious mistake in the “Guide for Newcomers” map in the July issue. The University of Dallas is an exclusive private campus that has constantly been confused with UTD. But in downtown Dallas?

Perhaps an article entitled “UD: A Misplaced Thumbtack in the Map of Life” would be appropriate.

Julie Franzen

Irving



YOUR “GUIDE FOR Newcomers” is very informative and well put together. I notice, however, that you list under “Health Care” Las Colinas Preventative Medicine Center.

Mistakes like this should be avoidaded [sic].

Patti Skelton

Irving

WE ARE PART-owners in a Dallas con-do, and we hope to be moving to Dallas soon. On our last trip to Dallas in late April, my wife went to a Public Safety testing station in Farmers Branch to get a Texas driver’s license. However, while everything you said in your July issue is correct, it is not correct that Texas is one of several states that does not require new residents to surrender their old driver’s licenses.

After qualifying on all requirements and after having her photo taken-and after her money was paid for her Texas license-my wife was refused the return of her New York driver’s license. Since we still reside in New York, my wife couldn’t give up her New York license. After being told that under a new Texas law that went into effect January 1, 1984, Texas now requires that out-of-state licenses be surrendered, she took back her New York license. You may want to advise your readers of this change in Texas law.

R.L. Cornish

Plandome, New York



THE 1984 “GUIDE for Newcomers” should serve a very useful purpose. However, my review of it confirmed what I have been told by a number of corporate executives: “Bishop College is a very low-profile institution.” I trust that the materials [enclosed] served the useful purpose of reflecting my commitment to cause Bishop College to become a viable part of the higher education community in this area. That task could be aided by our being included in the 1985 Newcomers Guide.

Wright L. Lassiter Jr.

President

Bishop College

Dallas



IN FEBRUARY 1984, you touted The International Theatrical Arts Society for bringing “a steady procession of some of the most interesting dance companies around.. .”In April 1984, you gave us credit for a “blockbuster weekend” in presenting Dance Theatre of Harlem, and you called our 1984-85 season “another don’t-miss season.”

Alas, when you enlightened newcomers about dance in Dallas, there was not a mention of TITAS. Why not give newcomers a chance?

Tom Adams

The International Theatrical Arts Society

Dallas



THIS YEAR’S “GUIDE for Newcomers” has to be the best yet. Thank you for the lengthy information about St. Paul Hospital’s programs and services. We have many activities going on this fall, and your staff included several of them. There was one error, however: The phone number listed for the physician referral line should be 689-3099 rather than the main switchboard number of 689-2000.

Carla R. Springer

St. Paul Hospital

Dallas



YOUR “GUIDE FOR Newcomers” was very well-done, but one thing you seem to have forgotten is the religious community of Dallas. It, too, is one of the most prodigious elements in the spiritual life of a community, and you have failed to make newcomers aware of it.

Mrs. W.D. Leechman

Dallas



TRIBUTE TO HELLMAN



I LIKED YOUR “Editor’s Page” [July]. I’m reminded of a book on F. Scott Fitzgerald in which he and his publisher exchange letters. Seems these “immortals” are very mortal people with everyday concerns, which they tend to magnify in their own view.

Neal Specht

Dallas



FOR THE FIRST time in my life, I am compelled to write a letter to the editor. Kudos to Lee Cullum and Patsy Swank for treasuring and publishing the letters from Lillian Hellman. I, too, have read everything she has published and regret that I did not have the opportunity to see the series that KERA produced. The letters certainly portray the frustration that comes before a finished product. Thank you.

Becky Young

Dallas



DWI AND THE DRINKING AGE



I READ YOUR EXCELLENT story “Crackdown on DWI” [July]. Reporting the facts as you did in your informative article is a truly commendable journalistic service.

I have been working diligently in Irving, the Metroplex and Texas since last October to raise support and awareness for the establishment of a national drinking age of 21. My interest in this particular legislation has grown out of my love for young people and the alarming fact that 8,000 youngsters die annually due to alcohol abuse (this number equals the total high school population of Irving plus 2,000). I am happy that President Reagan today signed a bill that will be a federal inducement to encourage states to adopt a 21-year-old drinking-age bill.

Reagan noted that “statistics show that people 18 to 20 are more than twice as likely as any other age group to be involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident.” It’s interesting to note that New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas have raised their drinking ages to 21. Texas has a drinking age of 19; Louisiana, 18. Texas has a very powerful liquor lobby!

The tragic fact is that alcohol is involved in the four major causes of death among 15-to 24-year-olds: 1) drunken driving; 2) suicides; 3) drownings; 4) homicides.

A uniform drinking age of 21 need not be seen as primitive. Studies show that teenagers, unfortunately, are involved in 25 percent of all alcohol-related road fatalities. The problem, as portrayed by safety experts, is that most young people simply would not have developed sufficient driving skills by age 18 or 19 to handle a car and drink at the same time. No one can successfully mix liquor and driving!

Nancy OTeter

Irving

WEST DALLAS PROJECTS: THE OTHER SIDE



AS A CONCERNED and committed youth group of the West Dallas Housing Projects, we were excited to find an article in D Magazine that featured our community [“The Forgotten City,” July].

After reading and discussing the article, we agreed that many of the descriptions and statements continued to highlight the negative labeling of the residents and the community. We had hoped that this article would emphasize the residents’ commitments and achievements in changing our image.

We are tired of seeing our community portrayed as being populated almost solely by pimps, drug pushers, addicts, alcoholics and slovenly women who enjoy being on welfare. The few positive portions of the article-Pauline Geary and her efforts in securing the police substation in the West Dallas area and Tony Richardson’s involvement in the community-were certainly enlightening and refreshing. We applaud you, but again, we feel that the overall article was negative and one-sided.

The Concerned and Committed Youth Group of the West Dallas Housing Projects



Correction: Dr. Sydney Reagan, professor emeritus of real estate at SMU, was incorrectly quoted as President Reagan in a comment about public housing in the September column “Inner City Moves.”