Farewell Stuart

Re: Popular host of CBC Radio’s “Vinyl Café” loses cancer fight — Feb. 16

The passing of Stuart McLean of the “Vinyl Café” may not warrant a day of national mourning or lowering the flag at half mast, yet those who saw him or listened to him on the radio were given about 40 minutes for personal reflection with humour that really had no equal — a place where laughter met tears.

The tripe we view on TV pales in comparison to a radio show or concert hosted by McLean. Like Stephen Leacock, he did offer “Sunshine Sketches of A Little Town,” which in this time and place in today’s world we probably need. His passing will slide off the national scene within days and we will plod through the issues of the day perhaps not knowing or even appreciating how a humorist like McLean could make your day just

a little better. McLean’s talent will be remembered and those who shunned radio missed an opportunity to let the theatre of the mind give them the opportunity to inwardly escape the day with a warming comfort. Paul Alexander Baden