152-year-old home
I had to write after reading the story Rick Kogan wrote on Mrs. Stemple, her daughter Barbara, and their efforts to keep their home in Elmhurst (Sidewalks, April 20). I hope their efforts are successful. I have to tell you that any time my brother Bill or I went to Stemple’s Bicycle Shop on Spring Road in Elmhurst, Mr. Stemple was always very nice to his customers, regardless of their age. He was a true gentleman.
Bill bought his first 10-speed from Stemple’s in the late ’60s. It was a gold Schwinn and cost $126. Big money for someone 10 or 11 years old (he had spent the summer selling lemonade). Thanks for good thoughts on this beautiful Sunday morning.
— Janice Rutecki / Westmont
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Sexual politics
After reading “Let’s Talk About [Not Having] Sex” (April 20), I have to wonder if the article was a profile of an engaging young speaker whose focus happens to be abstinence or a means to subtly highlight Project Reality and its loss of funding.
What it is not is an objective article on sex education in metropolitan Chicago. The reality is there can be little “objective” conversation on a topic so closely linked to personal values. Nevertheless, the question arises: Whose values should dictate what our children are taught?
Abstinence-only sex education, which represents a narrow moral code and political agenda, has no proven scientific basis and can leave uninformed youth vulnerable to pregnancy and social disease. Comprehensive sex education is a public health approach to teaching boys and girls age-appropriate information about changes in their body and potential consequences of their behavior.
The article implied a gap in availability of good curriculum. Not true. The Robert Crown Center for Health Education has partnered with schools in six counties for 50 years and taught over 5 million kids. We educate youth in the importance of responsible decision-making.
— Kathleen Burke /Hinsdale
CEO, Robert Crown Center for Health Education
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