In the spring of 1970, my father drove our family down to Dinkytown to see the People's Park that the protesters had created on the site where a Red Barn chain restaurant was going to be built.

"Look at it!" my dad said with a big smile on his face. "Isn't that just great?"

It was impressive, but I reminded my ultraconservative father that he had never liked college protesters.

"I know, but you've got to admire what they accomplished here. It took a lot of guts."

Wouldn't it be refreshing to see today's protesters show some of the same pluck as their compatriots from the past? ("Development plans create a Dinkytown showdown," Jan. 22.)

Long live Dinkytown!

JON BALCH, EDINA