Chaney Class of 1972 will miss one of its own

Chaney Class of 1972 will miss one of its own
EDITOR:
This week the 1972 graduating class of Chaney High School will gather to celebrate its 30th reunion. Peter A. Polando won't be among his classmates that night. He died in a police chase just one week shy of the celebration.
A front page photograph in the local section of The Vindicator depicts a distraught and frightened man. I haven't seen Pete since the days that we shared giggles among friends in our home-room class, but I couldn't help but be saddened by the story not only told in the article, but on his face. Pete died just two days after graduating from a court-sponsored drug program, in an attempt to overcome an addiction.
I hope the drug program doesn't consider this a failure. Success is an ongoing process rather than a destination. I commend the efforts of Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr.
City Prosecutor, Dionne Almasy said it best when she described Pete as a "nice person with a gentle spirit." That's how his classmates will remember him this week.
DEBORAH A. (ROMAN) DOLAK
Boardman