Setting an Example for His Children

As a mom, I was more than a bit disgusted by the facts revealed in a Column One piece on wealthy parents who finagle bogus attention deficit disorder diagnoses for their teens so the kids receive extra time on the SAT test--and thereby cheat their way into the college of their choice.

So it did my heart good to read the Southern California Living article on Arden Taylor (“A Friend in Need,” Jan. 12), whose friends have rallied around him and his family after Taylor’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Taylor’s honesty at work and in his personal life, and his sincere devotion to “friendship, faith and family,” were cited as the reasons why, even at the young age of 42, he has already achieved a well-lived life. Short of a miracle, Taylor’s 8- and 12-year-old sons will not have their dad here to guide them as they take the SATs and enter college. But through Taylor’s example, Jesse and Graham have already received a gift much more precious than an ill-gotten degree: the simple knowledge that their father cared enough to teach them the importance of personal integrity.

--KATHY SENA

Manhattan Beach