Letters policy

The News Courier encourages letters to the editor. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and should include a name, address and telephone number for verification. Submissions that do not meet requirements are subject to editing. Send letters by noon on Thursdays to P.O. Box 670, Athens, Ala., 35613, or e-mail to kelly@athensnews-courier.com.

Offended by article

Dear Editor:

I was offended by the recent article about the “Town Drunk.”

Maybe Tommy did have a drinking problem but would never hurt a fly. He was nice, kind and polite.

One day when I was a teenager, I was coming out of Ben Jaffee’s and he was walking down the street and I said, “Well, hey, Tommy.” He went straight to our house and told my mother, “She spoke to me!”

I guess he thought I would shun him in public although he was at our house frequently. He praised my mother on how she reared my brothers and me.

He had a gentle soul and should not be remembered as “The Town Drunk.”

Sincerely,

Sue Looney Qualls

Athens