I was pleased to read the piece by Tad Elliott (“My Durango is your Durango,” Herald, Aug. 18). His grandmother, Nancy Elliott, was a mentor to me, and I have known his family for a long time. Tad wrote about many of my same sentiments regarding Durango. We are fortunate to live and thrive in this community. I remain grateful to live here. My parents were local merchants, and they owned Western Outfitters (where Maria’s Bookshop is now located). My sister recently passed away. When my sister was a young adult, she worked at Western Outfitters and learned about local business and how vital retail is to a community. Many who attended her celebration of life service took the time to reflect on their memories of coming to see my sister at Western Outfitters. Stories were also shared about growing up in Durango. This is why Tad’s article resonated with me. Tad’s article reminded me of how much I value our local newspaper. I have been reading about the importance of local newspapers to communities and believe we should be thankful we have a local newspaper. So many towns our size have lost theirs. Reading articles from locals like Tad and other stories on locals is critical to me. As Tad wrote in his article, civility is important in a community like ours. Taking on a healthy debate without hatred and avarice is essential for our well-being. Tad also reminded us to keep our sense of humor. Thank you, Tad, for a great article.
Sheri Rochford Figgs
Allison
