Dear Editor:
Kudos to Ian Cunliffe, marathon librarian.
Ian Cunliffe should be esteemed as a Canadian hero from British Columbia.
No, he is not Terry Fox, but his cause is no less important and is highly deserving of positive media and public attention.
I am both a marathon runner and someone who has greatly benefited from Canadian education, receiving all of it, including a Ph.D. in chemistry, in this country except for two months of Grade 1. Marathon running is a gruelling experience, and I can't imagine stringing so many together in such a short time as Cunliffe has done.
School can be a painful experience too, for some. I was lucky to be intellectually gifted and self-driven in my 1968-'89 student days, but most students need bright, motivational and capable teachers to prosper, and only adequate salaries will attract such essential people to the job.
Cutting back on education spending is like being shortsighted and expecting to prosper without investing in corrective eyeglasses. Only quality education can bring the future into focus for most people.
Walter Cicha West Vancouver
