Bravo to The Sun for naming Helen Delich Bentley to its Business and Civic Hall of Fame ("Baltimore Sun's Business and Civic Hall of Fame honoree: Helen Delich Bentley," June 10).
Ms. Bentley is the embodiment of unselfishness, and her entire life has been dedicated to serving the public.
One way that may not be well-known has been Ms. Bentley's enduring support for the Liberty ship S.S. John W. Brown (shown at anchor behind Ms. Bentley in the article).
The vessel, which is coming up on its 75th birthday, was built in Baltimore in 1942 and is one of the two functioning ships of its kind in the world (the other is the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien in San Francisco).
We built 2,700 Liberty ships during World War II to make up for the large number of American merchant vessels lost to enemy action. The Liberty ships were constructed in record time and demonstrated the very best of American ingenuity and quality.
The John W. Brown has machinery that's been in operation since 1942. That is a tribute to the original builder, Bethlehem Steel, the support of Ms. Bentley, help from both public and business sectors, and the vessel's remarkable crew, which has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of volunteer labor into the ship.
Thanks in considerable part to Ms. Bentley, the John W. Brown constitutes a national treasure and goodwill ambassador for Baltimore, Maryland and the United States.
Peter I. Hartsock, Laytonsville