Walter Capps

The sudden, untimely death of Walter Capps is a loss not only for his family but for everyone. I fear we have lost a voice of reason and compassion whose mark in Congress and ultimately upon all of us will never be realized.

In 1980, I knew Prof. Capps as an undergraduate at UCSB and attended two of his classes. What I saw for two semesters was a committed, caring individual who treated his students as he would his peers and colleagues. He was one of those rare teachers who invited us to his home for after-hours discussions. Who, as part of the class curriculum, arranged for a weekend monastery retreat in Big Sur and offered to accommodate as many people as his car could carry for the trip. Who spoke again and again of the rent in our social fabric brought about by the war in Vietnam and related events, the spiritual vacuum this tear has created and the hope that through compassion and reconciliation we could mend and grow.

Political naivete notwithstanding, I believe that the embodiment of those traits stood us well when Mr. Capps went to Washington. Walter, we’ll miss you.

BRIAN A. LENT

Cayucos

* Will the voters in the 22nd Congressional District be allowed to cross party lines when they vote in the special primary to replace their late U.S. representative? If so, this could be a predictive microcosm of the California primary in June 1998, and help solve procedural problems of the new open primary law.

TRACY C. WINKLER

Cerritos