READERS RESPOND -- Who missed the list?

You asked for our input and here’s mine. Yearly I look forward to your

“most influential” list -- it’s fun. This year I take offense to No. 28,

Supervisor Tom Wilson. In our Newport-Mesa communities, where many of us

worked arduously to defeat Measure F, you place one of the opponents of

the El Toro airport in our local newspaper as most influential. What’s

wrong with this picture?

RACHEL PEREZ-HAMILTON

Costa Mesa

That the Pilot has chosen a dead West Side swinger for one of its

perceived most influential is reprehensible and reckless for a

family/community newspaper.

Even the selection of No. 58 (I don’t want to give his name any more

notoriety by mentioning it) is an insult to many fine and very much alive

and unsung activists who have given to the integrity of our community

rather than to the lascivious and immoral acts of that dirty old man

(acts which may in fact be illegal and are very destructive to any

neighborhood where there are children, as the courts hopefully will soon

determine).

Great heroes like war veteran George Grupe, who recently honored the

war dead with a memorable American flag ceremony at Newport Harbor High

School; George Yardley, the super athlete who continues to host a golf

tournament to fund the Newport Harbor High School golf team; volunteers

like Vicki Franco, who helps daily in the TeWinkle lunch line and always

takes pictures at West Side events where kids are involved; and Kim

Farthing, who serves tirelessly as others to raise money for the

Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation certainly deserve more recognition than

that dead slime ball.

And don’t forget Sherri Hoyt and Mary Lou Fissel, who have put in

countless hours for Estancia; and Chris Ludlow, Jennifer Knapp and

Michelle Graham, PTA moms from Adams; and Mary Fewel from Victoria and

Ellen Carroll from TeWinkle. The list is endless.

Shame on you, Daily Pilot!

BARBARA WHITACRE

Costa Mesa

I realize you have to cut your list off somewhere, but I would have

liked to have seen Steve Rasch included on your most influential list. He

has given countless hours of his personal time toward the welfare of

thousands of kids in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa as a regional

commissioner for AYSO soccer. This will be his third year running the

program, which is a year-round project. I would love to see him get the

recognition he deserves. Steve and his wife, Janet, who also donates not

only her husband’s time from the family but also is involved in many

phases of the AYSO program, are residents of Newport Beach, where Steve

is a dentist. They have three children, enjoy snow skiing and the

outdoors. Steve is listed on your Hall of Fame page, but I really think

his devotion to the kids of our city deserves greater mention.

CHRIS ROHAN

Costa Mesa

For future consideration for your Top 103 for next time: Debby

O’Connor, executive director, FISH Harbor, Inc.

FISH Harbor, Inc. serves more than 5,600 low-income families each year

with programs such as Transitional Housing, Mobile Meals, Rental

Assistance, Utility Assistance, Food Programs, Adopt A Family programs,

Child-care Subsidies, and other programs aimed at helping families and

individuals in crisis become self-sufficient.

Under Debby’s tutelage, the program now has eight permanent staff

members and more than 300 volunteers serving primarily the Costa

Mesa-Newport area, but is now reaching out to all of Orange County.

DENNIS SCHROEDER

Lake Forest

Dan Glenn, Newport Harbor High School teacher ... Boys and girls

volleyball coach for more than 12 seasons ... Intense, numerous

championships, influenced many student-athletes, prepared many for

college ... Many of his students received scholarships and have gone on

to fame: Misty May, April Ross ... Is a great ambassador to the game of

volleyball.

RALPH ROLLINS

Costa Mesa