Perseverance

I remember Lloyd Thaxton (“What He Really Learned From His TV Dance Party,” April 20). I had subconsciously placed him in the same category as people like Chuck Barris (of “Dating Game” and “Gong Show” fame) who have journeyed the road from feast to famine and back again in the entertainment industry.

Thaxton’s is a compelling story of the human will to persevere in the face of life’s trials and tribulations. He has never given up on mass media, although it is clear that at several distinct points during his career mass media had given up on him!

His story also suggests that notwithstanding the fact that he has worked in a variety of entertainment genres, he possesses an underlying calling, if you will, to connect with and speak to the real, concrete needs of other human beings.

“Discretion is the better part of valor” -- that is one of life’s difficult lessons to be learned. There is a time to press forward with boldness, and a time for humility. Thaxton understands this ... to be an optimist, pragmatist and humane at the same time.

William S. Harralson

Oakland