I FREQUENTLY travel to Jamaica and have been doing so for the last 45 years. My first purchase after deplaning is a copy of The Gleaner, which immediately puts me in touch with what's happening on my favourite Caribbean island. What a great newspaper it is - I call it the NY Times of the Caribbean.

In the December 11 issue, on page E19, I noted that Maurice Tempelsman was at the Mona campus and had been among the refugees from Europe who stayed at Gibraltar Camp, which later became home to the Mona campus. This really aroused my curiosity - what was Gibraltar Camp? How long did it function? During what years? How many refugees passed through there? - and many other questions. Could you please help me with this, either by forwarding to historians who may know about this, or by publishing the letter so those knowledgeable could respond. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that Tempelsman was a close friend of Jackie Kennedy Onassis during her last years.

Share rich culture

Keep covering the news in Jamaica as well as you do. Jamaica has the potential to create a model in the Caribbean for a self-sufficient society that could provide opportunities for all. Catering to tourists who are interested in history and the rich culture of Jamaica has not yet been adequately met.

Too many hotels cater to the lowest tastes, with loud music, Americanised entertainment and constant amplified announcements during the day. We love the mento music, folk dances and African traditions, such as Jonkonnu, and found that the cultural TV station often presented a side of Jamaica not usually seen by tourists - students singing in choral groups, youth orchestras playing classical music, and people who pass on the oral traditions.

I plan to return a few more times in the early part of 2009, and look forward to the time when all tourists will be introduced to The Gleaner.

I am, etc.,

ROBERTA L. RAYMOND

141 S Scoville Ave

Oak Park IL 60302