Editorial

Now into its third year, the library’s Martin W. Witte Distinguished

Speaker Lecture Series is showing signs that it has matured into an

annual institution of which Newport Beach residents can be proud.

One of the key signs of that maturity can be seen in the lineup of

guests who have already spoken in this year’s series.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Susan Faludi, Orville

Schell, a former war correspondent and documentary journalist and, of

course, just last Friday night, legendary TV journalist Tom Brokaw.

And in May, the series will end with a talk by Harvard professor and

evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould.

The library leaders and behind-the-scenes volunteers who have made

this speaker series a success should be proud.

It’s a spectacular event for a spectacular crowd.

“It’s wonderful ... It has evolved into a true community service,”

said Jene Witte, the widow of the series’ namesake. “My husband would

have been thrilled.”

We’re sorry to say, however, that the maturity of the series itself

doesn’t seem to have rubbed off on library foundation and trustee members

who once again managed to turn their latest squabble into a public feud

-- a feud that wound up being linked to the series itself.

The disagreement was over the honorarium to be paid to Brokaw and

whether or not it had been properly accounted for in the speaker series

budget.

Brokaw agreed to do the speaker series last year.

But, incredibly, as recently as February, the library foundation’s

speaker series budget documents showed no money designated for the news

anchor’s visit -- a huge oversight or misunderstanding that managed to

spill over at a recent City Council study session.

Brokaw, to his credit, donated half of his $20,000 honorarium to his

favorite charities and half back to the library. But even how to spend

the $10,000 he donated back to the library became a source of

controversy.

Brokaw, as well as the others who have agreed to lend their name to

this series, shouldn’t be mixed into the dirty laundry being aired by the

trustees and the foundation.

Instead, library trustees and foundation members need to learn

cordiality.

They need to stop the behind-the-scenes jousting and personality

clashes and get on with doing the noble cause that the public has

entrusted them to do -- namely to provide a worthy venue for literacy,

culture and letters, and the lecture series is an exemplary example of

that.

Instead of chronicling the latest row, we would prefer to propose a

toast the continued success of the series.

We hope you’ll join us.