Readers Remember

Occasionally a politician rises to a higher level. They enter that pantheon we call statesmanship.

Among them was Anwar al-Sadat.

When he flew to Jerusalem in 1977 it was the boldest, most audacious thing I ever saw. I cried. He won the Nobel Peace Prize but became a pariah in the Arab world. And when no nation wanted to allow in the ousted shah of Iran, Sadat took him in as a favor to an old friend and allowed him to die in peace.

LYNN R. WRIGHT

Newhall

Amelia Earhart had already flown solo across the Atlantic and much of the Pacific. Unbelievably, she was coming to Decatur, Ill., and would be speaking at the Masonic Temple. The cost was frightful, but somehow mother found enough for two tickets.

After a lunch of Masonic creamed chicken and peas in a patty shell, my goddess spoke. She was poised and sincere and talked of ailerons and fuselage as if they were everyday things. She confided plans to fly around the world. I wondered if she’d leave anything for me to pioneer.

After the lecture I slipped quickly into the reception line. I remember the thrill of her firm handshake. Her hands were slender, the fingers long and strong. She looked right into my eyes as I confided that I, too, was going to be a world-famous aviatrix.

“Good!” she said. And she smiled at me.

I think of her whenever I see creamed chicken and peas in a patty shell.

LIZ VOGEL

South San Gabriel

In 200 words or less, send us your memories, comments or eyewitness accounts of the 20th century. Write to Century, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or e-mail century@latimes.com.