DOING MUCH

I enjoyed Lewis Segal’s article acknowledging the efforts of impresario James A. Doolittle in bringing culture to our city over the years (“Defying the Odds,” Nov. 19). I remember being in the audience in the late ‘50s at the Greek Theatre and seeing the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, Alicia Alonso, the Royal Danish Ballet, Roland Petit’s ballet company, Jose Greco, Katherine Dunham and many of George Balanchine’s works with the New York City Ballet.

In those days, when a flight to the East Coast took more than nine hours on a DC-7, the opportunity to see these world-famous performers was an exotic treat. Doolittle made such great performances accessible to Los Angeles audiences and placed our city on the map as a cultural destination.

Segal’s article inspired me to remember my delight as a child attending ballets in the ‘50s at the Greek and to realize that I am still attending Doolittle-presented ballets, but now with my daughter at the Music Center.

LYDIA E. RINGWALD

Beverly Hills