1960 Convention

Your July 16 article about Ellen Jacobs, a “golden girl” hostess at the 1960 Democratic convention in L.A., brings back my vivid memories of that experience.

We were a contingent of 200 women picked by the Democratic Party to be hostesses to the delegations. We were of all ages, statuses and roles. Looking very feminine in our white blouses and skirts and beribboned straw hats, we symbolized the dual role of women at that time in politics (hostesses and activists).

Adlai Stevenson was the choice of many California Democrats and many in the “golden girls” contingent. I was assigned to the Illinois delegation (my home state, as well as Stevenson’s), and I was astounded to find out that the entire Illinois delegation was bound to John F. Kennedy.

The atmosphere was electric. On the evening of the nomination, I was in the balcony when Eleanor Roosevelt came down my aisle. I reached out to hold her hand and cried, “We’re losing Stevenson.” She smiled warmly at me and said: “Don’t you worry--we have a plan.” I will never forget her and that wonderful moment.

In the aftermath: 200 weeping women being cheered by our coordinator, Goldie, who stated, “We have a wonderful candidate.” And later, that memorable line in Kennedy’s inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”--a call to service to the next generation. JFK was of my generation, a veteran of WWII who exuded intelligence and empathy. I looked hopefully to the future.

The 1960 convention was a defining moment in my life as a citizen in a democracy.

DOROTHY GILDEN

Culver City

* Re “Protest Organizers Vacate Office After Police Visit,” July 16: The article might appear to a casual reader as though the police in the normal course of their duties had observed a structure being illegally occupied and acted accordingly. Has crime in the Rampart area ebbed so that the police can now turn their attention to ordinances that are the proper purview of the building and safety department? Hardly the case. A more likely explanation is that the LAPD is engaging in its historical pattern and practice of harassment of left-of-center political activists.

Doesn’t anyone find it a bit disturbing that the City Council is allowing an agency whose lawlessness may yet bring the city to the edge of bankruptcy to oversee security preparations for the Democratic National Convention? As things are shaping up for next month’s event, it looks more like a chapter from Orwell’s “1984” than an exercise in democracy.

JOSEPH GIUS

Los Angeles

* Many of us pride ourselves on the democratic history of this country. The demonstrators who hurled tea into the Boston Harbor are hailed as heroes. The traitors (to the crown) who fought a revolution on ground that was not even theirs are hailed as patriots.

In all actuality, demonstrators, be they tame or noisy, do more to uphold the traditions of this country than the politicians. Therefore, the demonstrators should get Staples Center. And by all means let the Democratic conventioneers have Pershing Square.

PAULI PETER

Los Angeles