Letters to the Editor (July 30): Dave Stallworth, raw facts

Honoring the Shockers’ greatest

In 1962, Wichita was thought of as a cow town by many across the United States, especially on the east and west coasts. In 1965, one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game at any level had arrived. His dominance put Wichita on the national map as something other than a cow town.

Suddenly, everywhere you went, people knew Wichita was where Dave Stallworth is from. That connection remains.

Dave died March 15. Citizens of Wichita, also known as the Shocker Nation, have been asking why there isn’t a memorial in his honor. We have decided to get serious and give Dave a permanent public place of honor in a community which has gained so much from his talents as a kind, gentle man and the greatest athlete ever to wear a Shocker uniform. The WSU Foundation is accepting support and answering the questions about the project.

I never left Wichita after graduation. I’ve been here since 1963. I have watched this city and Wichita State University enjoy the benefits of David Stallworth both socially and economically for the last 55 years. He is gone now and we need to remember him.

Beneath the raw facts

I’m no fan of Donald Trump, but he is probably half right about the “fake news.” The press usually gets the raw facts right, but the slant they give them is generally in exact opposition to reality. The psychology behind them is wrong.

They are like poor readers of a Hemingway short story where you have to infer the characters’ motivations and thoughts from their actions: the press (and most people) always infer incorrectly. Of course, Trump is usually claiming that they get the material facts wrong, too, which is a lie. But, the general life lesson is: beware of anyone’s attributions of motives, the press’s or anyone else’s.

This story was originally published July 30, 2017 at 5:50 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor (July 30): Dave Stallworth, raw facts."