Letters.

• Position: Brief Article - Letter to the Editor

Sharing our loss

Your February column about Laura and Ray Gosser touched me. Your eulogy spoke volumes about your relationship with Laura and, in a more general sense, about the special friendships with which we are sometimes fortunate enough to be blessed.

Roger M. Friedensen

Vice President

Epley Associates

Raleigh

Thank you for grounding me with perspective. As I move through my afternoon working on the "important" task of building my company, I will be sure to take time out to appreciate those who are important to me.

Larry Nabatoff

The Nabatoff Group

Charlotte

Bellow up to the bar

Your January cover story on the Legal Elite was most interesting -- a group of people that produce nothing but take away a tremendous amount of money from corporations, insurance companies and individuals. The article on Russell Robinson raises questions that need to be addressed. How does one man wield so much power in getting the legislature to act on such short notice? How many good people had their jobs terminated because SunTrust was stopped from taking over Wachovia? How much money did the "best business lawyer" get in fees from First Union for this deal? How does that fee equate with grief caused by his actions? You may call this the best -- but the people who lost their jobs have another name for it. The North Carolina good-old-boy network is still working in fine form.

W.P. Wansley

Statesville

Premium care

I was surprised by Ed Martin's account of his experiences as a heart-bypass patient (cover story, December), as during our phone conversation he expressed satisfaction with his medical outcome. We take seriously our commitment to providing members with access to quality health-care services. That's why Carolinas Medical Center is part of our provider network. In fact, it was Charlotte's sole winner of the 2001 National Research Corp.'s Consumer Choice Award. We will continue to work with our network providers, like CMC, to identify ways to enhance our ability to offer access to quality health care at an affordable cost.

Steve White

President and...