To the Editor:

Re “What Alice Mayhew Taught Me” (Op-Ed, Feb. 6):

Many thanks to David Masello for sharing his warm reflections on the editor Alice Mayhew, who died on Tuesday.

In this moment when harsh words and even harsher policies are the order of the day, it is important to remember how to read a newspaper (and to read it every day), to thank people for acts of kindness, and, as an editor, to work hard to preserve an author’s voice.

Keeping a stash of postcards in your desk drawer, encouraging young people: such simple but crucial advice.

With this article, Ms. Mayhew has become a mentor to us all.

Elaine Elinson

San Francisco

Ms. Elinson is a freelance writer and editor.