April 30, 2005

Star Blogger

Blogger Mark Rose reports - with pictures - from The Tennessean's 66th Annual Three-Star Forum Banquet, last night . Each year the paper honors writers of letters to the editor over the past year whose letters it deemed worth of its "Three Star" designation. This year, there were nearly 200 "Three Star" letter-writers. It should come as no surprise that The Tennessean chose many more liberal letters as three-star winners than conservative ones.

Rose, who wrote two "Three Star" letters, reports that the some people in the crowd booed when he made public remarks in favor of protecting the lives of defenseless babies.

Read the whole thing.

The Tennessean's report on the event notes that the paper has began awarding the three-star letters in 1938, and the first banquet was held in 1939. The banquet has been held each year since then, except 1945 when it was cancelled during World War II. The banquet's signature event is an opportunity for each letter-writer to speak for one minute about any topic they choose.

I wish I'd known that back in the mid-1980s when I won a "Three Star" award. I'd have stuck around. Instead, I ate the food, listened to the keynote speech and left. Ah well.

Perhaps I'll dig the letter I wrote out of the files and post a scan of it tonight or tomorrow.