Staying Power   

Randy Diamond's piece was worth reading more than once ("Resurfacing in Scranton," December/January). His profile of Larry Beaupre, drawn against a vivid background of producing a community newspaper, should especially interest younger journalists like the ones whom he quotes and whom he credits Beaupre with hiring, training or retraining as the case may be at the Scranton Times and Tribune. Young journalists among your readers are those who most need a mentor like Beaupre. If I were one such reader, I would send my résumé to him for that very reason!

My only criticism of Diamond's piece is that the question of Beaupre's departure from Scranton should not have been the last one asked. The ultimate question for community newspapers like the Scranton papers is whether or for how long his minted protégés stay. The observation by the veteran copy editor about "thin" institutional memory is not so nostalgic as Diamond implies; it is an insightful one about the importance of an individual's and a newspaper's mission.

James D. Jordan
Scranton, Pennsylvania