Here are a few e-mails I've gotten so far this morning. I'm not screening them, not putting only the ones that agreed with me, just dumping all of them on here. If you missed the column, it concerned Fresno State misusing donations. I swear, it's not as boring as that description sounds.
Plenty of response, including my voice mail being so jammed that I had to erase some of my old classic messages, the guy who always apologizes for leaving a message (usually at 3 a.m.) then talks for 10 minutes and calls back three times, and the guy who calls every day just to chat -- with the machine.
OK, here we go...
"But I'm one who is glad to finally see the occasional critical column in the Bee (or anywhere....T.V., radio, etc.) about one of the various power elite in this city. The media in general has been 'soft' on the influential for way too long in my opinion. I was talking to someone today about the article, and he wanted me to pass along to you that he also felt the piece was one that needed to be written."
-- Kirk
"Ordinarily, negative columns turn me off, but today's subject matter warrants and deserves truth however negative or ugly it is. Very good column. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark ... er Fresno, methinks. Keep digging. Let's hear/read it all."
-- Larry
"I enjoyed your column today. Only one constant for all FS problems: budgets, Tark, Title IX, violations, personnel actions = Welty. ADs, administrators, coaches have come and gone only one constant = Welty."
-- D.
"I relished your article and your writing style in this story. I think of investigative reports in the same category as police officers and firemen. They all have a duty to the general public but periodically focus on one spot which requires some courage and risk. In any case, congratulations. Go, (I mean GO) Dogs!"
-- Wayland
(Just to clarify here, George Hostetter actually broke the story in Sunday's Fresno Bee. He's an investigative reporter. I take two lunch breaks and write one-liners.)
"Great Article. When Al Bohl 'cooked the books' to get the bonus, it was a hot item on the Ray Appleton radio show and he did call Dr. Welty's office at that time to get that money back and was told, 'it was a personal issue.' Arrogant."
--Don
"Great stuff!! You hit the nail on the head. Welty is the person responsible because the 'buck stops at the top.' He always talks his way out of situations, i.e., Tarkanian, or the women's basketball coach, etc., but how is he going to talk his way out of this one? When he says an investigation began 5 years ago, how is it that the transferring of funds was still occurring 3 years ago? Oh well, it's always someone else's fault, isn't it? Have a nice day."
-- Dan
"Great writing!!! Your article left me with a lot of unanswered questions -- let's hope the 'real' answers are revealed. Keep up the good work."
--Rhoda
That's it so far of the ones that are PG. I'll post more when I get more.
