Garrett A. Morgan

I was struck by the short article on the history of gas masks (Part A, Feb. 7). However, I was saddened by the obvious omission that the inventor, Garrett A. Morgan, was black. The Times had an opportunity to highlight an additional fact.

Perhaps the fact that a black man is responsible for saving countless numbers of lives with his inventions (the traffic light and gas mask) would have been too much for the public to grasp in one item of trivia.

NANNETTE MARCHAND

Rowland Heights