Tuesday, June 13, 2006

A Riverview Graduates Writes To The School Board

Honorable School Board Members,

I am proud to say that I was among the 1,500 or so students who were in attendance at Riverview when it first opened in September 1958. I went on to graduate in 1961, attended MJC for a couple of years, then enlisted in the Navy in 1965. During the next 39 years I lived in and/or visited a wide-ranging variety of locations (both foreign and domestic) from Hawai'i to Mediterranean seaports in France, Italy, Spain, Egypt, and Israel. During my Navy career I developed an appreciation of Fine Art and Architecture.

As a naive High School student, I had no idea of the uniqueness of the buildings which comprise my High School Alma Mater. Since moving back to Sarasota, however, I have come to realize what a treasure Mr. Paul Rudolph came up with when he designed the historic Riverview Campus. Last September, during the Reunion of "The Founding Five" classes, I was stunned and disappointed to learn that you all plan to demolish this rich architectural treasure. I urge you in the strongest possible terms to please reconsider this decision. There just has to be a way that the existing plant can be renovated and upgraded to meet modern building standards more cheaply than tearing it down and building a whole new plant. Please consider giving a fair analysis of any option which would save Mr. Rudolph's original buildings.

Thank you for your time,
Richard P. Sundstrom
4027 Condor Lane
Sarasota, FL 34232-4915

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