WW welcomes letters to the editor via mail, e-mail or fax. Letters must be signed by the author and include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Preference will be given to letters of 250 words or less. ZEST FOR LIFE Your article on Jon Beckel was very one-dimensional ["What Happened to Jon Beckel?," July 12, 2000]. In your haste to represent Jon as Bad Boy and Clown Prince, you managed to overlook the many wonderful qualities that Jon possessed. Jon Beckel was a man of myriad moods and talents. He could exasperate his friends, but he also constantly delighted us. I don't think I have ever known anyone with the zest for life and sheer vitality that Jon had. He loved flowers and gardening, animals and children. He was bright, witty and could be a great companion. Generous and loyal, and willing to defend a friend no matter what the odds might be. He had fantastic taste and was an inveterate thrift-shopper and yard-saler. Take Jon into a room with 2,000 pieces of junk and he could instantly pick out the one treasure in the room. Many times I have seen him act so kindly to those "less fortunate" than he, and he was a champion of the underdog. I, for one, will always treasure my memories of my friendship with Jon. Lily Witham Southeast 15th Avenue HOUSE OF YUP I fail to see how taking low-income housing from nonprofit community development corporations and putting it into the hands of private realtors will help low-income residents stay in the gentrifying North/Northeast area of Portland ("Case Foreclosed?," July 12, 2000). PCRI is needed not to curb blight, but to ensure that low and moderate-income people have a chance to live in the core of Portland, close to jobs, services and community. Otherwise the core of Portland will become like San Francisco. I have been acquainted with PCRI and its staff for more than two years. We need more housing in North and Northeast under the umbrella of responsible nonprofits like PCRI to combat gentrification, not less. Chip Shields Executive Director, Better People Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.