Memorial Fountains in Pershing Square

I am writing in response to Gertrude Brown Carter’s letter (Sept. 18) about the fountains in Pershing Square. My grandfather, Kelly Roth, did indeed build them as a memorial to my grandmother, Nellie. The reason my grandfather chose the fountains as a memorial was to say thank you to the city that had given him so much--a place to work, to live and to raise his sons. He wanted the people of Los Angeles to receive his gratitude and enjoy the fountains.

My father, Clarence Roth, lived in Los Angeles until his retirement in Palm Springs. My father has made contact with the City of Los Angeles and the reconstruction committee over concern for the fate of the fountains and all they represent. While the story has been heard, the results have been disappointing. No solution has been offered that will keep the fountains alive for the people.

The loss of the fountains will be more than the loss of a concrete structure. It will be the loss of an important piece of history--one that tells of an individual man who, like so many others, loved his wife and loved Los Angeles.

Thank you, Gertrude Carter, for caring and remembering.

NEIL K. ROTH

Lawndale