DICK CLARK

Having spent the better part of 10 years working with Dick Clark, I read with interest the article on his life and far-flung business enterprises (“Dick Clark’s American Dream,’ by Steve Pond, June 29). Although it accurately portrayed Clark’s mood swings, entrepreneurial success and workaholic lifestyle, it did not note his compassionate nature, an attribute often overlooked in media profiles of his life.

One time, I had to fire a man in my department who had been repeatedly derelict in his duties because of a severe alcohol problem. Dick quietly sought out the man and, without fanfare, offered him his job back if he’d enter a hospital program--which Dick would pay for.

When my father balked at agreeing to serious spinal surgery that doctors considered necessary, Dick--unbeknownst to me--telephoned my dad across the country and spent half an hour convincing him to have the operation. Anyone who knows Dick Clark is aware that time is a most precious commodity to him, so those 30 minutes were not spent lightly. Also, those of us who witnessed Dick’s love for and devotion to his own father won’t soon forget it.

While Dick Clark may not have been an angel in business, he has indeed been a saint to those around him, which is more than I can say for some of the other entertainment moguls I’ve toiled for over the years.

Frank Furino

Palm Desert

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Pond’s article implied that pioneer rock disc jockey Alan Freed was guilty of accepting money to play records because he was netted by New York State commercial bribery laws. Freed was never convicted of any wrongdoing--all the charges against him were dropped--but his career was destroyed by the controversy.

I’m surprised that the magazine memorialized a person who is basically nothing more than a shrewd businessman. Clark has dedicated his life to amassing huge profits from rock ‘n’ roll, while many of the genre’s founders and shapers lived penniless or died broke and never made the cover of a magazine.

Judith Fisher Freed

Los Angeles

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The cover photograph of Dick Clark shows him smiling, but an inside photo portrays him with what appears to be a perturbed scowl. It’s disappointing to discover that a man who is lucky enough to work at what he loves, with interesting and creative people, and earns a lot of money doing so chooses to be annoyed at slight inconveniences.

Dolores Long

Van Nuys