The Death of Queen Elizabeth: ‘We Shall Not Know Her Like Again’

More from our inbox:

• Germany’s ‘Moral Failure’ After the Munich Massacre
• The Double Standards for Women
• Memories of Moosewood Restaurant
• Homage to Trees

To the Editor:

Re “Queen Elizabeth II Dies at 96” (nytimes.com, Sept. 8):

One could not conjure a figure of greater poise and dignity than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who by dint of will and natural temperament managed to forge of her unasked-for royal life an example to all who yearn to be more quietly dutiful in their daily tasks.

We shall not know her like again. My heart and the hearts of all Americans today go out to our brothers and sisters across the Atlantic.

We embrace you, dear friends. And we thank you for lending us the power of her example as we struggle to remember just what sort of leaders are indeed worthy of our trust.

David D. Turner
Sorrento, Italy

To the Editor:

The relevance of Queen Elizabeth’s life has long been lost on the many decades of the public who see the royal family as a frivolous icon of days gone by. However, that is not so for those of us who remember the Britain that in earlier times held the democracy and freedom of Europe in its trust while the rest of the world held its breath in anticipation of both rising fascism and Cold War destruction.

Queen Elizabeth, though not a politician, was instrumental in swaying world politics toward peace. Yes, the queen and her monarchy have essentially outlived their importance in world affairs. But regardless of the affairs of today, when direction and leadership were required at a level that far surpassed politics, Queen Elizabeth stood alone and at the forefront of all challengers.

In life there are very few iconic leaders who surpass the parameters of a life they were born into; Queen Elizabeth was one of those unique individuals who transcended their role.

Long live the queen, God praise the queen and we will never forget this queen.

Daniel Kowbell
Mississauga, Ontario

To the Editor:

I am not your typical Anglophile. I am an unlikely mourner of Queen Elizabeth II. I am a 62-year-old Black woman born in the small town of Rocky Mount, N.C. I never had any desire to visit England, even though I love to travel. I never really thought much about the British Empire until Netflix aired “The Crown.”

Initially I watched the show out of curiosity about how she dealt with her husband, adversity and the challenges of ruling at such a young age. I continued to watch out of the respect and sense of connection I felt with her. Her loyalty to others, her dedication to service and her strength will forever be embedded in this Southern lady’s heart. Rest, my queen.

Felisicia Williams
Chesapeake, Va.

Germany’s ‘Moral Failure’ After the Munich Massacre

To the Editor:

Re “Formal German Apology for Terror Attacks on Munich Games Offers ‘a Kind of Closure’” (news article, Sept. 6):

Germany’s apology to the families of the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich is long overdue. But while recognizing that its failure to protect the Israeli athletes and coaches is an important step, the apology did not appear to address the grave moral failure after the tragedy.

Less than two months after the Munich massacre, West Germany released the three Palestinian terrorists it had captured in exchange for the passengers and crew of a Lufthansa flight hijacked by the same Palestinian terror group. Instead of serving long prison sentences, the terrorists were given safe passage to Libya, where they were welcomed as heroes for murdering and mutilating Jewish athletes and coaches in cold blood.

West Germany can be forgiven for failing to foresee and prevent the Olympic massacre. But releasing the terrorists was a moral failure for which there was no excuse.

Stephen A. Silver
San Francisco

The Double Standards for Women

To the Editor:

Re “Women’s Work Is Never Done,” by Maureen Dowd (column, Aug. 28), about the Finnish prime minister’s apology after partying with her friends:

As a doctor and the director of Motherhood Association, a support organization for women navigating the challenging issues of working mothers, I say “yes” in full agreement that “women’s work is never done.” Plus, it’s a sad reminder that Women’s Equality Day, created in the 1970s, was on Aug. 26, given all we still need to accomplish.

How sad that we are still fighting for pay equality, protection from sexual harassment and discrimination, paid maternity leave, respect in the workplace and more. If the leaders in the 1970s who created that day could see us today, what would they think?

That the prime minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, had to apologize for dancing with her friends, while male counterparts party and drink away, should remind us that we can’t dance around the importance of relentlessly working to resolve all of these issues so we do not pass these problems along. What will the headlines about women in the 2070s say? The same?

Ellen R. Ettinger
New York

Memories of Moosewood Restaurant

To the Editor:

Re “Moosewood Has New Owners, but Still Holds Its Old Values” (T Magazine, Sept. 4):

Reading your article about the Moosewood restaurant in Ithaca, N.Y., flooded me with waves of nostalgia. I cherish the first edition of the Moosewood cookbook, which has on its last page photographs of diners in the restaurant. Unknown to us when they were taken, my husband and I are featured in them.

Moosewood opened during the age of the Howard Johnson restaurants, where the menu was largely the same from coast to coast. To walk into a place where you were confronted with a blackboard and handwritten offerings of ever-changing daily specials seemed magical to us. So glad it made history!

Mariann Carlin
Walnut Creek, Calif.

Homage to Trees

To the Editor:

Re “The City of Light Has a Whole Lot of Green” (Business, Aug. 22):

Thank you for your article on the importance of trees to the iconic experience of Paris. It underscores that trees are irreplaceable monuments to life on earth as well as natural allies in our collective response to climate change. The protection of tree health is precious everywhere, not just Paris.

Trees are the lungs of earth. They pull carbon from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen for every living being to breathe. Trees’ ability to sequester carbon is critical in addressing climate change.

Further, trees reduce temperatures. They are a natural shade structure, and strong tree canopies are a highly effective way to address the “urban heat island” effect because of sustained sun exposure on expanses of man-made building materials.

Trees have witnessed the whole of human existence on earth, and they are a part of our history. We hang piñatas, swings and tea lights from them; we climb and fall out of them; we watch birds play and live in them; we seek shade beneath them; we pluck their fruit and save their leaves; we travel to Paris, Central Park in New York, the Black Forest in Germany, Mount Yoshino in Japan and elsewhere because our entire existence is inextricably linked with trees.

I encourage us all to value these incredible living monuments.

Whitney Braun
Tucson, Ariz.
The writer is a marketing group manager at Rain Bird Corporation, an irrigation company.