Letter: Reynolds' museum should be preserved elsewhere

She is not a quitter and has managed that same sense of humor through three unfortunate marriages, erasing the debts of those unions, not by choosing the easier road of bankruptcy, but by paying off bills that were never hers, and thereby maintaining an integrity far and above what was expected of her.

Because movies have always reflected the world, the preservation of them and subjects related to them are far more important than the nostalgia they may inspire. In every sense, they and those who participated in them remind us of our victories and defeats, the days we laughed and the nights we cried.

Where and who we may have been when they were first produced, and where and who we are now. They are significant celluloid documents of the entire century.

Along with whatever other dreams Reynolds may have had was the one that drove her to collect and exhibit memories of Hollywood's contributions to the world, and she worked tirelessly for years seeking a place to share those memories.

Last Wednesday, another fateful day in August, that dream came to an abrupt end. Deep down she had hoped that whomever purchased her hotel would continue to exhibit her museum. As the probable new owners are into wrestling, that hope seems very unlikely.

We live in a town built and run by movers and shakers. I suppose it would be too much to ask for one of those building barons to include Debbie and her museum in any one of their soon-to-be-opened megaresorts.

If one chose to do so, he would accomplish more with that one gesture than all of the commercial hoopla put together.

Nothing succeeds better than a happy ending. It beats the hell out of issuing still another postage stamp.

Perter Collins

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