Mailbag - February 2023

PERSONAL BEST Cyvia Wolff, 87, is committed to staying active. She heads to the gym four times a week and walks two miles every day. (Photo: jackophoto.com)

Response to diversity letter

[In response to a letter featured in Mailbag, Jan. 2023] I believe The Buzz has fairly represented the community without any prejudice or exclusion in its reporting of the news, events, stories and pics in each edition. What I see is reporting/stories/pics based on character, deeds and events in the community, not one based on a gender, skin color, nationality, religion or any kind of diversity quota system.

Make the news, contribute with good deeds. Submit your story. Be interesting. No one is news just because of their skin color, nationality or just because they live in million-dollar plus homes!

Patrick Villarreal

Editor’s note: As mentioned in last month’s Mailbag, it’s important to us to be inclusive, and we aim to feature residents from diverse backgrounds throughout our four magazines (Bellaire, West University, Memorial, Tanglewood/River Oaks). We encourage our readers to reach out with story ideas spotlighting interesting neighbors and a variety of human-interest topics.

Inspiring seniors

If articles like Keep It Moving: Seniors In Motion [by Cheryl Ursin, Jan. 2023] inspires just one copycat, you’ve done your job!

I was so excited to see Mickey Rosenau and Ellen Gritz featured in the story. Ellen’s pandemic re-route to her neighbor’s pool was my pool! What she neglected to mention was the intensity in which she swims her 1.25 miles. There were several occasions I had elite athletes at my house for meetings and/or visits and they were blown away by her stroke speed. Not only was it amazing to watch, her daily visits to my house resulted in a very deep and fun friendship, which has led the two of us down many adventures, doing very interesting and impactful things.

We are all so grateful to The Buzz to learn the good things happening in our community.

Melissa Levin

Covering health and fitness

Having my picture on the cover [Tanglewood/River Oaks Buzz, Jan. 2023] has been fun. I have heard from people I haven’t seen in years. My incredible trainer, Bob Talamini, has also heard from quite a few people. I know The Buzz picked me [to be featured in Keep It Moving: Seniors in Motion by Cheryl Ursin] because of my age, however, I don’t think of myself as 87; I think we should constantly enjoy life, our friends, and our family. This fills me with all I need to enjoy life and feel young. Wishing one and all a healthy and happy New Year! Keep on moving!

Cyvia Wolff

Editor’s note: Cyvia is one of multiple Buzz-area seniors who impressed us with their commitment to staying fit, their focus on healthy living, and their positive outlook on life and aging (no, not just because of their age!).    

Putting pen to paper

I love Dr. Portnoy [and his article Fountain Pens: The good old days, Jan. 2023]. A number of physicians still write with fountain pens. I vary between ballpoint and ink but prefer ink. I am glad ink on the hands is a mark of distinction. I still practice medicine and as long as it isn’t red ink, I’m okay.

In Praise of Paper by Anne Pierson Wiese is a favorite poem. It’s a must read.

Jimmy D. Schmidt, MD

Editor’s note: This letter was sent to us in the old-fashioned way – handwritten in pen on paper and sent through the mail. Dr. Schmidt kindly included a portion of the poem he referred to in his letter.

Breaking boundaries

I love the article [Breaking Boundaries: Helping those with invisible disabilities] by Michelle Groogan, Nov. 2022, and I’ve received so many compliments on your writing! Thank you again for covering this!

Liz Selig

Send letters to [email protected]. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and space. Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.