Looking for family of Jack Daley

Editor:

My grandfather, Jack Daley, was born in St. Albans in February 1914. He had two siblings, a sister named Melba and a younger brother.

As far as I know, he was an orphan and a runaway. He attended Parkersburg High School from 1923-1928. He lived with Blanche (Farrier) and Edward Schneider while he attended school.

He headed westward and lived in Illinois and Iowa before coming to California during World War II. If there are living family members in the area, I would very much like to hear from them at clothcraf...@sbcglobal.net.

Thank you so much.

Pamela Stutrud Groth

Petaluma, Calif.

Politicians don't care about children

Editor:

After the Sandy Hook shootings, did we hear any senator or congressman say something like, "I will do anything I can, work with anyone who will help, oppose whomever resists, never caring who gets credit to assure that a tragedy like this never happens again!"

Instead, our elected leaders reacted with the expected deference to the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, with statements like: "...the bad guys are still going to get weapons." (McKinley); "They [the media] will, one by one, put up pictures of dead children. They will show the carnage." (Manchin)

By contrast, teachers at the school went toward the shooter without armor, weapons or backup, and several were killed. I believe there are teachers in every school in America who would risk their lives to protect children, but it seems our politicians won't even risk their chances at re-election.

Gerald Wedemeyer

Bridgeport

WVSDB family has been torn apart

Editor:

As I returned to school following our respected Pierre Sevigny's funeral on Friday, it finally came together in my head why all these changes and rumors and plans have been so upsetting for many on our campus.

The West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind have been family for 140 years. Perhaps we have not been so to the community, but to the students and staff who have existed together in this microcosm in Romney, we have supported each other, loved each other, fought at times like brothers and sisters, but we have always been the WVSDB family. We have raised the children of West Virginia who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and blind or low vision when they were not with their own parents.

In the funeral home, there were current students, former students/alumni, staff present and past, and friends. All packed in there together were members from the School for the Blind, School for the Deaf and the Multisensory Unit. They talked (signing is talking, too,) visited, comforted and held each other as only family members do.

This feeling was palpable, because we are, or were, the WV Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. This is something that outsiders who see us only as a commodity for economic or political use will never understand. Our hurt and mistrust comes from the breaking up of our family as we have known it.

I realize times change, and things change, but to tear apart the family unit that has always been WVSDB is something that must not be taken lightly by the powers who be. Many of us will be in mourning, and we may be that way for a very long time. Because, you see, we held our students "Always Child First" long before you paid any attention to us.

Robin Dohrman Ayers

Family and Consumer Sciences, Daily Living Skills and ProStart teacher

Romney

Response to Kahn letter on guns

Editor:

In response to Mr. Jamal H. Kahn's question: "Is unlimited gun access worth a child's life?" How many lives is freedom worth?

The framers didn't put "the right to bear arms" in the 2nd Amendment to ensure us the right to squirrel hunt; it's there so we can protect our freedom.

How many lives were lost stopping Hitler? Was it worth it? How many lives were lost because Hitler disarmed the Germans? Or Mao the Chinese, or Stalin the Soviets, or Fidel the Cubans?

Thorney Lieberman

Charleston

Putin needs Romney for Winter Olympics

Editor:

Russia's Putin fired the comrade in charge of building the facilities for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the small resort city of Sochi, cost overrun and delays were cited for dismissal.

Mr. Putin can get things going in a hurry if he would call Mitt Romney. Mr. Romney did wonders in Salt Lake a few years back. That was one of his major campaign ads.

Ted Harmon

Yawkey