DAVID GREENE, Host:
We did get some good feedback on our new series that celebrates seniors who are still moving and grooving well past retirement age. The story of 85-year-old former college professor and garlic farmer Chester Aaron struck a personal cord with Jill Brusco-Fox of Sacramento, California. She had this to say.
M: I attended St. Mary's College and was a student of Professor Aaron. He truly was a gem. And although I enjoyed writing before I took his class, he taught me the power of words and writing. It has served me well throughout my career. I am so glad to hear he is still enjoying all that life has to offer. He continues to be an inspiration.
GREENE: Chet Smalley from Erie, Pennsylvania, liked last week's segment about the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. Chet said Mr. Braille's invention - that alphabet of raised dots - has been important to him.
M: First, thank you for taking a little time - 2 minutes and 59 seconds - to observe the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. I've been reading Braille since the age of 6, thanks in large part to my wise mother, the former Irma Wise, who insisted in 1961 that, despite the fact that I still had some useable sight, the Buffalo school system teach me to read Braille in case my sight departed. Indeed, it did, and I've been literate into middle age owing to my mother's wisdom.
GREENE: You might remember last week's story about a veteran stone carver who says his craft is dying out in favor of laser-carved gravestones. Dirk Burrowes of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who is president and CEO of Vytek Lasers, had this to say.
M: Stone carving continues to be in demand for monuments using traditional lettering and sculpting motifs. For consumers who want to create personalized life story memorials with detailed images, computer-driven laser engraving is the technology of choice. Computers, laser machines and other modern tools have revolutionized the art and technology of monument building, improving on the limited choices provided by the traditional hand carving and sandblasting.
GREENE: Blast us your thoughts, comments or complaints. Just go to npr.org, and click on the "Contact Us" link. And also, don't forget to visit our blog, npr.org/soapbox, where you'll see NPR's Scott Simon with a football jersey on his head.