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Of all the people James Perry could have asked to write a nominating letter for a prestigious scholarly award, he asked Radford University professor Reginald Shareef.

Perry is a nationally recognized leader in public administration, the study of how public organizations are managed. He is a chancellor's professor at In- diana University.

The honor, awarded by the American Society for Public Administration, is tantamount to journalism's Pulitzer Prize. It is given for lifetime academic contributions to public administration.

Shareef said of Perry: "He could have picked anybody in business or the field of public administration. The guy's a real humble guy."

"One doesn't have to be from Harvard," Perry said in a telephone interview Friday morning. "Reggie was probably as good as anybody. We sort of kept in touch based on our professional interests. He consented to do it."

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Beginning this afternoon, area teens again will have a place to seek knowledgeable advice about sexual health.

With teen pregnancy rates on the rise, thank goodness Planned Parenthood Health Systems has reopened its teens-only clinic for a few hours every month.

From 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month, high school and middle school students can drop by the Peters Creek Road facility for free, professional help with confidential services including birth control, pregnancy testing, gynecological exams and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Abortions will not be offered as part of the clinic. But abstinence will be part of the comprehensive and essential discussion about sexual health.

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Loved ones laid the Rev. James D. Walker to rest in 1944 and later his wife, Maggie, in 1952.

An elegant, granite headstone etched with the couple's names also contains the poignant words, "Gone, But Not Forgotten."

"Those are the ones that get to you," Ann Bird, clutching a clipboard, said last week as she stepped over fallen limbs and navigated around prickly bushes in the abandoned wilderness that is Springwood Burial Park.

"Gone but not forgotten," she repeated wistfully. "I'm afraid they've been forgotten."

The Walkers' graceful, dark-gray tombstone has weathered the decades, but their resting place near Lincoln Terrace Elementary School has not.

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The weekend child visitation exchange between Sabrina Reed and her estranged husband, Robert, had become a delicate transaction strained by fear and tension.

Increasingly frightened for her safety in an abusive relationship, Sabrina Reed had filed for divorce. She and her husband were separated. On weekends, Robert Reed drove to his in-laws' home in Northwest Roanoke to pick up his and Sabrina's 7-year-old daughter, Asjah, for the usual visitation.

On Sept. 2, 2005, Sabrina Reed's fears were realized.

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During Thursday night's debate, Hillary Clinton made such a big deal insisting that Barack Obama not only "denounce" but "reject" the endorsement of controversial Louis Farrakhan.

The tables turned however when Clinton headed off to Texas. Latina supporter Adelfa Callejo told a Dallas TV station that blacks don't do anything to help Latinos. Callejo added: "Obama has the problem that he happens to be black."

Confronted with the comments, Clinton couldn't stand the taste of her own medicine, initially failing to "denounce" or "reject" Callejo's remarks. Clinton said she failed to see the comparison of them to the Obama-Farrakhan situation.

Hours later, likely after reviewing the interview, the Clinton campaign announced that the candidate indeed was denouncing and rejecting Callejo's remarks.

Hypocrisy, as The Washington Post called it? Better late than never? I guess the voters will decide.

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