Letters: Jul. 5, 1999

HEROES AND ICONS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

"Who put this selection together? If Muhammad Ali is on the same list as Mother Teresa, you need a new category!" ELAINE HANAK-HALL Aurora, Colo.

It must have been a difficult task to choose the heroes and icons of the 20th century [TIME 100, June 14], but I am very impressed with your selections for this special issue. I sat down to take a quick look at the magazine and did not get back to work for several hours. This issue will never be discarded. JEAN SIMMONS Oshawa, Ont.

I agree with your view that the heroes and icons of the century teach us how to live through their triumphs and follies. Those who are called heroes should be the people who teach us and move us even more when they lose than when they win. KOICHIRO YOSHINO Saitama, Japan

TIME's list of the 100 most influential people contains both the obvious and more than a few wise and courageous surprises. But I would substitute George C. Marshall for Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover for Margaret Thatcher and Woodrow Wilson for Ronald Reagan. Even better than your list of notables would be the recognition that much of what deeply influences society comes from the accumulated contributions of countless unknowns. ELROD P. HAYES Greencastle, Ind.

If the American G.I. is honored, then the people who hold the century's most influential position should be as well. I refer to the humble teacher. This century has seen exponential growth in knowledge, science and education. The greatest crusade has been against ignorance and illiteracy. There is no Nobel Prize for Education, yet were it not for teachers and the growth of universal education, this world would be much less advanced. R. LINKIEWICZ Dolans Bay, Australia

I was under the impression a century covered 100 years. Yet TIME seems to think the past 10 are the most important. I should have known the issue would be a silly, pointless exercise when a world-famous artist, Robert Rauschenberg, taped together some file photos and called it a cover! I hope he had the good grace to donate his fee to charity. CHARLES GLASBERG New York City

Thank you for leaving a prominent blank space on the cover of your "Heroes" issue, right between Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana and Mother Teresa. It gave me a perfect place to glue a picture of another heroic woman, my mother, Constance Marie Ouellette. She provided me with a firsthand example of living a life of meaning and humble service. Hey, Mom, you made the cover of TIME magazine! BERNARD OUELLETTE Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Most of your choices are Americans or have lived in the U.S. It is a bit arrogant to choose so many people of your own country. MARTIN LIEB Ulm, Germany

Thank you for this memoir of the 20th century. As I approach my seventh decade, I can recollect much of it, but I needed your review of influential people to refresh my memories. I shall keep this copy for my grandchildren. JUDY EISENMAN Quincy, Calif.