Expertise and Empathy

I am appalled at the negative coverage your paper has given Maestro Kirk Trevor. I am an avid reader of Metro Pulse and I am saddened to witness the devaluation of Metro Pulse through such biased and unnewsworthy coverage [Ed. Note—The "coverage" referred to was actually a letter to the editor, not a Metro Pulse story].

Is your paper going to print such trash every time someone has a personal vendetta against someone else? There could be no other reason for the defamation of a person who has given so much to our community.

I personally witnessed Maestro Trevor teaching several of his University of Tennessee music classes. He was an informative and very inspiring teacher.

I am also friends with several of his past and present orchestra members and have gone to rehearsals and performances conducted by Kirk Trevor for over 10 years now. He works at an exhaustive pace with all of his heart and soul. His interpretation of Mahler and the depth of feeling he puts into this noble composer's compositions is unmatched in expertise and empathy.

Although I am sure there are a few disgruntled musicians who have some personal reasons, the like of which I and my colleagues will never be able to figure out, the great majority of Knoxvillians—musicians, painters, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and plain old people who want to see Knoxville expand its cultural horizons—are appreciative of accomplished geniuses who choose to share their expertise with Knoxvillians rather than in a city that has more to offer them.

How very selfish the people are who write these detrimental letters. Do they not realize how much they are hurting our community? It will be a great loss when Maestro Trevor leaves Knoxville for a more welcoming city...a city where the newspapers do not able and encourage personal vendettas by putting the rhetoric of a mad person into print.

Otherwise, Metro Pulse is a great asset to Knoxville's literary population and press. May 1998 bring newsworthy articles and may your paper succeed and flourish beyond your greatest expectations.

Suzan Sofia McGovern
Knoxville

They'll Need It

The bear article you have in this week's Metro Pulse ["Bear Baiting," by Betty Bean, Vol. 7, No. 49] is a balanced treatment of a complex problem. Thank you for your even-handed approach to both the overpopulation of specific areas, the need for control, and the problem of hunting activity in built-up areas. Good luck finding solutions! I hope your readership and advertising base increase because of your editorial position. It's the first article in any publication that I've seen that didn't take one side over the other.

Hal Dougherty
Knoxville

Old Jokes Never Die

I am writing with regard to Mr. Mayshark's article "The 3 R's? Reading, Writing, and Religion" that appeared in the Dec. 18-25 issue of Metro Pulse.

I do not recall the source of the following quotation that appeared in some publication not long after the Supreme Court banned organized prayer in public schools in the 1960s. I realize that it referred to prayer in general and not just organized prayer. It read: "So long as there are exams, there will always be prayer in public schools."

I enjoy reading Metro Pulse. Keep up the good work.

Robin C. Hale
Knoxville