To the editor:

A big thanks to James Grauerholz for ironically setting a few things “straight” in his recent letter to the editor, “Creative class.” Our city’s true value has always rested in its great aptitude for economic growth and development by way of accepting different kinds of peoples and ideas. What’s the value of economic development without soul, without beat, without differences? What’s the value of our community without innovation?

A community’s measure of artists, writers and performers does correlate well with growth. In his letter to the editor, Grauerholz provided a welcome service to Lawrence by urging fellow citizens to read Dr. Richard Florida’s entire May 2002 article at www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/ 2001/ 0205.florida.html.

The site’s worth printing again, and it’s worth doing your homework to find out who James Grauerholz is, if you don’t already know. And while you’re at it, take a few moments to think about who the “we” represents in our city’s motto “We have tomorrow bright before us like a flame,” taken from Langston Hughes’ poem “Youth.” Fittingly, that poem ends “We march!” Thanks Mr. Grauerholz for reminding “us” we eternal youths, eternal flames that the “hope,” “beat,” and “soul” of a city are more than just four-letter words, they’re reasons to march!

Larry Estes,

Lawrence