Apologies Asked, Rendered

I read with some interest your article captioned “Asian-American Seeks Apology for Remark,” which appeared May 16. While I was not present at the Optimist meeting where this incident occurred, as a local businessman intimately familiar with some of the participants, I feel that some objective comment is in order.

Recent incidents with Al Campanis of the Los Angeles Dodgers and popular TV personalities show that every aspect of our society is supercharged with the notion that there should not be racism anywhere. Nothing could be more true. I certainly do not condone racial slurs, and knowing Albert (Bud) Marley as I do, do not feel this was intended. As the immediate past president of the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce, I took it upon myself to meet with, and on many occasions work with, Marley. He is not only a superlative administrator but is a dedicated representative of what local residents view to be the best school district in the state, and he has frequently shown his excellence as both an administrator and an educator. I can say without any hesitation that Marley could not and does not have a bigoted or prejudiced bone in his body. This is not to say that he may not have misspoken or perhaps used improper phraseology to express a point.

The point of all this, however, is to let us not so immerse ourselves in the rallying cries of today as to lose sight of what is really important and to recognize excellence when it is among us. Had we more educators and people in government who approached the excellence of Bud Marley, this would be a better world.

RICHARD G. TARLOW

Calabasas

Editor’s Note: Marley publicly apologized last week for his comment. This letter and the one that follows predate that apology.