Vilar Deserves Thanks

Re “Donor Vilar Owes $500,000 to L.A. Opera for ‘Lohengrin,’ ” by Diane Haithman, Sept. 21:

Alberto Vilar has done more to support the musical arts in the United States than all the greedy CEOs of Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia etc. combined.

If his ability to continue his largess is now curtailed because of business reverses and our weak economy, perhaps we should focus on thanking him for his past generosity instead of berating him for his current inability to contribute to the extent that he has in the past.

JAYCIE INGERSOLL

Beverly Hills