Mandela Deserves Degree

To the editors:

I was astonished by Melissa Crocker's "Editorial Notebook" (Sept. 21) on the honorary degree ceremony arranged for Nelson Mandela. One has to wonder at the impulse which drove her to pen such a peevish piece. I would with no hesitation place Mandela among the most extraordinary figures of the twentieth century.

This is a man who maintained his moral character and revolutionary zeal for freedom and justice through nearly three decades of imprisonment. He emerged from that ordeal, not with hatred in his heart but with an unshakable commitment and the superb political skill to lead his nation.

I'd say Nelson Mandela deserved every honor and every "special arrangement" Harvard needed to muster for him. LEE A. DANIELS '71   Brooklyn   Oct. 6, 1998