Promising more?

I read the front-page story about tech billionaire Yuri Milner pledging $100 million to back Stephen Hawking’s latest search for life in outer space (“Hawking to Hunt for Alien Life: Tech Billionaire Joins Him in $100M Task,” July 21). I then let out one of my frequent sighs at the unfairness of life.

I do recognize man’s apparently innate need to broaden his borders; after all, if someone hadn’t gone beyond the beaches of Europe, this continent would still be in the hands of the original peoples who lived here.

However, when I recalled the news (“Promise Cuts Scholarship Amounts,” July 15) of the Pittsburgh Promise having to reduce its scholarship awards to future students due to lack of sufficient funding by those individuals, businesses and foundations that have the capability of keeping this program alive and, especially, well, I exhaled the aforesaid sigh.

Which could be more important: extending our borders outward especially since we haven’t done too good a job managing this planet, or seeing to the education of the young people coming up into their expensive college years? Just think: Among the group not getting monetary help today might be the Stephen Hawking of the future! Maybe one of those students will be the one to discover a preventative or cure for Mr. Hawking’s condition.

Maybe the Promise should lobby Mr. Milner for a pledge, maybe just 10 percent of what he’s giving to Mr. Hawking’s program. DIANE YUHAS Castle Shannon