Letter of the day: The death of Billy Bye recalls the carefree days of youth

I was saddened to read of the accidental drowning death of Billy Bye (Star Tribune, June 13). He was my boyhood hero. I recall placing a small plug-in radio in an open window of our house in far southwestern Minnesota (we did not have portable radios in those days) and listening to Gophers football games while kicking and throwing a football around in our back yard. I can still hear Halsey Hall say: "Bye is back ..." as the play was about to start. When the Sunday Tribune came out, I would scan the "Peach Section" looking for pictures of No. 7 with his jersey sleeves pushed up on his forearms running the ball, throwing a pass, intercepting a pass, making a tackle, etc. The "Anoka Wanderer," as Halsey called him, could do everything on a football field. Thanks for the memories, Billy! BOB JENTGES, NORTH MANKATO, MINN.