I must disagree with David Grossman, who in his letter to the editor (“Pigeons are beautiful? I disagree.,” Feb. 17) expressed disdain for pigeons. I am torn between the need to educate him and the need to acknowledge a fellow devotee who has memorized every line of “The Producers.”
Also known as rock doves, these peaceful, gentle birds mate for life, and both male and female tend to the eggs. (I have witnessed this on my balcony.) Despite the perception of being dirty, they are actually very clean. They are very intelligent. (I have heard that they are one of the few species that are capable of recognizing themselves in a mirror.) Pigeons and humans have coexisted for thousands of years, and their exceptional navigational abilities have helped humans in war and peace.
Not disgusting at all, Mr. Grossman!
— Andrea Lancer, Chicago
What a dove taught me
In 2002, I rescued a white dove found outside a pet store, which the store took in and put in a cage. Likely he had been let into the sky for a wedding or a funeral.
I had an aviary that was so large it had to be put in place by a crane. I then got a mate for Paloma, who turned out to be a male. A love story ensued with many eggs delivered to a nest of twigs provided from the garden. A hawk that got his beak through the slats of the cage killed Paloma’s mate Pinky, who had a peach-colored ring around her neck. Paloma then lived alone daily out in the sun of California, and I brought him into the living room at night.
Twenty years later at a garage sale I held, a bird lover offered Paloma a home. I took her offer, as transporting Paloma along with two dogs in a moving van seemed a cruel experience for him. I feared neighbors in Oak Park would not take to his cawing.
Paloma was the most loving, sweet and gentle dove, and I learned a great deal about life from him. I read with such joy about his fellows, the pigeons, and their loving care from a woman who realized their intrinsic worth.
— Marne Trevisano, Oak Park
Beautiful monument to MLK
In all the coverage around the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Jan. 15, I saw no mention anywhere of the monument to King in Chicago. At the entrance to this fine sculpture in Marquette Park at the corner of Marquette Road and Kedzie Avenue is a plaque that opens with these words: “Marquette Park is of great significance to America’s Civil Rights Movement.”
It was close to this location that King was felled by a rock to his head during a historic open housing march on August 5, 1966. That evening, he commented on TV that he had never experienced violence this severe even in the South. (I was in the march that day alongside of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and other Operation Breadbasket pastors, and I was struck in the leg by a small stone.)
The monument consists of three rectangular obelisks carved in clay and a low seating wall with mosaics done by local artists. I can assure Tribune readers that a visit to this memorial will be a moving experience.
— The Rev. Martin Deppe, Chicago
Flaw in mathematical approach
Sheldon Jacobson’s entertaining Feb. 14 op-ed (“How do you narrow the field while you date? Try math.”) proposes a mathematical approach to dating, similar to competing on a game show: You’re presented numerous boxes of differing value. As you open each box, they contain a “gift” that may or may not be better than the others you’ve opened. Jacobson suggests rating each person one dates as such a “box” and proposes a strategy of sampling a few, then deciding to accept as a life partner the next person who comes along, who’s better than (or almost better than) all the others so far.
There’s only one problem with this approach. Unlike a game show, these “boxes” have the option to reject you.
— Gary Katz, Long Grove
Is Chicago done with its ‘firsts’?
I enjoyed reading the “Chicago Firsts” insert in Sunday’s edition thanks to Nicor Gas. Chicago has a lot to be proud of in terms of its many accomplishments, inventions and two World’s Fairs, among many other events in the past. However, the insert omitted the Chicago Railroad Fair of 1948-1949. Another big event that could have been on the list was a World’s Fair in 1992. It was approved by the Bureau International des Expositions, but it died due to our petty politics. How many “firsts” would that event have produced?
One thing that I noticed, and this has bothered me for some time: So many of these accomplishments are from many years ago, and I don’t see so many in more recent years. Maybe I’m missing something, but are we resting on our laurels? Have we lost our sense of doing? Have we become complacent?
We used to be the “first” in many things, but are we still the first? Just wondering.
— Mario Caruso, Chicago
Newspaper delivery hard work
We have been enjoying the voices of other subscribers acknowledging their paper carriers, so we wanted to give thanks for ours. Unfortunately, we are not up at 4:30 a.m., but Maria Hernandez (and those who help her when she can’t make it) tries to make sure we get our paper by then.
Not to give historian Ron Grossman any Vintage Tribune ideas, but speaking from experience as a paper carrier, I know how hard that delivery can be. Back in the day, my brother had a paper route for the Kalamazoo Gazette (50 weekly/75 Sundays) and for a variety of reasons, when he couldn’t deliver, I had to help him out. I was a 12-year-old girl, and riding a boy’s bike while not always remembering who was on the route or who wanted only Sunday delivery and porch versus mailbox delivery and who had the vicious dogs, etc., had its challenges.
If I missed a house, the subscriber would call, and I would have to get back on the bike to deliver it — the route was out in the country and at least 5 miles. When it was snowing, I walked.
I did this for a grand total of 50 cents, and no, my brother never split the tips!
Maria must have had a sub this past summer because we had to call five times in one week to get the paper — sometimes we did, and sometimes we didn’t.
I’ll never know exactly what happened, but since then, there hasn’t been a problem. Could the Tribune let Maria know how much she is appreciated and that I hope she is OK and life is going better for her?
The great Mary Schmich wrote about tipping, and when we tried to get a tip to Maria at the beginning of the pandemic, Mary was able to help us get the gratuity to her.
The digital edition of the Tribune is beautifully done, and when I am out of town, I love being able to read it that way! But I’ll never be able to cut out a recipe, do the crossword puzzle in pen or show someone what happens when you put Silly Putty on the comics page for childlike fun.
Maria brings that world to me, and I am grateful.
— Jennifer Vombrack and family, Elgin
A hallmark of good times
Here’s to all the recent recognition of our newspaper delivery people. Add Marsha Woods to that list.
Our paper is here each day, early and dry, no matter the weather. The morning paper is a staple in my life. I love it: the paper, the turning of pages, opinions, human interest stories, the crosswords, the comics.
In an ever-changing world of communication, the printed version of the Tribune remains a hallmark of good times. I am ever grateful, and Marsha sure delivers!
Thank you to all who bring this service to our doorsteps each day.
— Cynthia Marks, Palos Park
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.