Mel Torme

* The news of Mel Torme’s passing (June 6) brought me back to the days of my youth in the South Side neighborhood in Chicago called South Shore. I remember our teenage social gang of boys and girls. Most have long left this Earth; but a few of us are still around.

What we all have in common at this time are memories; memories of that little, younger kid on the block, Mel. The 8-year-old neighborhood celebrity who always hung around us big kids.

The little kid who wrote songs and could never refrain from entertaining us whenever there was a piano. Our favorite club mascot who always found us urging him to never stop his singing.

Wherever you are, Mel, give them a last rendition of one of your earliest songs, “Dripping Milk and Honey From the Milky Way,” our favorite and yours.

ALEX (LENNY) BRITTON

Los Alamitos

* When my son was younger, he went to the Beverly Center with his friend Max and his dad. It was Christmastime and Torme was at the mall shopping. He saw the two little boys and asked them if they were having a nice Christmas; they both said, we are Jewish and celebrate Hanukkah. He told them he was Jewish too, but he wrote a song about Christmas and he wished them a good holiday and went on his way. Ever since then, whenever we hear Torme mentioned, we always say, oh, that’s Ben and Max’s Beverly Center friend!

FRANCES TERRELL

LIPPMAN

Los Angeles

* Embarrassed to seem a 70-something groupie, I stalled until about a week ago. Then, I wrote Torme from my heart, telling him what a lifetime of pleasure his talents had brought me and his thousands of other jazz fans. I pray my note reached him in time. If not, show those angels how to scat, Mel!

JOHN BEST

Sierra Madre