LeConte Lodge Remains Apolitical
Your July 17 editorial (“Petty Politics in Yosemite”) on the LeConte Memorial Lodge was right on the mark. One note of correction, however. The University of California geologist was Joseph LeConte, not John LeConte. John was Joseph’s brother, and together they were the founders of the University of California at Berkeley.
Joseph and John Muir were the founders of the Sierra Club. Muir was indeed glad that this structure was built in the valley. Muir was an advocate of getting people in the valley to experience its beauty and grandeur.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. July 22, 2004 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday July 22, 2004 Home Edition California Part B Page 12 Editorial Pages Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Sierra Club -- A Wednesday editorial on the club’s LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite Valley incorrectly said it was a memorial to John LeConte. It is a memorial to his brother, Joseph LeConte.
This lodge, as you stated, is used as an information and education center. It is not a hotbed of political activism.
The 100-year anniversary of the lodge was observed over the Fourth of July weekend and it was rededicated to that spirit. I attended that event, and I can assure everyone that the spirit of the lodge was observed and strengthened.
John LeConte
Great-grandson of Joseph LeConte
Agoura Hills