Two Teachers Who Inspire

If I were to run into Eduardo Munoz (“New World Order,” by Jill Leovy, Feb. 7), I’d want to pat him on the back, give him a hug or shake his hand and thank him for what he is doing to inspire junior college students such as Luis Hernandez.

Munoz reminds me of some dedicated instructors I studied with years ago at Santa Rosa Junior College. I nearly flunked out of high school, and without the genuine interest those instructors took in me and the tools they gave me to excel academically, I’d never have been able to earn a four-year college degree.

Teachers like Munoz, who value the needs of the student over the glamor of research, deserve our greatest respect.

David Lewis

Piedmont

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“Seminars in Sunshine and Noir” (by Jack Leonard, CNotes, Feb. 7), about the journeys of Whittier College’s Prof. Leslie Howard into Los Angeles, was a pleasant surprise.

I came from Connecticut to Whittier College in 1990. During my first semester, while in Howard’s “Principles of Sociology” course, I not only toured the many facets of downtown L.A. (including the obligatory French dip with spicy mustard at Philippe’s) but also enjoyed Vietnamese coffee in Rosemead, dim sum on Sundays in Monterey Park and independent films at Laemmle theaters.

Through Howard, I experienced firsthand most of the special places that make L.A. distinctive. Howard is an exceptional educator and true Angeleno.

Emmeline Elzin

Los Angeles