Hutton and Jones

Now that the shaking has stopped, more or less, I’d like to take a moment to offer a word of gratitude and praise for two women I think of as old friends, though I’ve never met them. I mean, of course, Kate Hutton of Caltech and Lucile Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey. I think of them familiarly as “Dr. Kate” and “Dr. Lucy,” and through the years, after every earthquake, they have been a source of calm, rational information, at a time when rumors fly and alarmist predictions abound.

Thanks, Dr. Kate and Dr. Lucy--I knew we could count on you!

LISABETH BROWNE, Costa Mesa