Dear Editor —

In 1903, Bonney and Smith created the first safe and affordable wax crayons for schools. The first box of eight sold for a nickel and included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and black. The company added new colors, many of which children were involved in creating by way of contests to name a new color. Today there are 120 colors in the Crayola color wheel. Scientists and visualization researchers have enriched our lives with the diversity of color.

We have taken a back seat to the advancement of diversity in color, compared to Crayola and all those who look forward, not backward. Even though in our part of the world that offers Spring Green, Summer Yellow, Fall Splash and Winter white … where are all the other colors? Why can’t we see China Blue, Saffron Yellow, Indian Crimson, Ebony Black, or Siena Brown? Have we become so lazy or complacent that we stopped looking outward? “The Big Blue Marble” isn’t so big anymore. Transportation advancements give us the opportunity to move outward, be part of learning new languages and seeing the beauty of other cultures unlike our own.

Our governor has made a huge effort to fix our local and state roads so that we can travel. Change the channel you are watching on the Boob Tube to the Travel Channel, spread your wings, open your minds. Be creative enough to know that, Yes You Can be accepting of others that don’t look the same color as you or sing the same songs that you do.

Check out the “Crayon-Bow” at Von Worley’s Data Pointed website (www.datapointed.net). By 2050 our future children could be coloring with over 330 different crayons! Will adults follow them, and learn to be accepting of all human beings on the planet we call Earth?

MARGARET KUTZERA,

Harrisville