Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Searching for message in ‘Da Vinci’

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004 | 8:15 a.m.

It's the talk of the literary world.

With 40 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list and 4.3 million hardback copies sold, "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown is causing doubts to be raised about many Christian beliefs.

How can you miss if you can include Mona Lisa, the Louvre, Victor Hugo, Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and an assortment of secret societies and cults, all in one vast mystery?

I must confess, I am halfway through the book that has excited the nonsecular world. It has become a chore, however, to pursue what others have found so intriguing.

I'm stubborn enough to finish the book, but I don't guarantee to get the message.

Phil Carlino, in his capacity as a fund-raiser for the American Lung Association, asked for nominations for the association's upcoming 23rd Honor Award presentation.

The award dinners are really fund-raisers, and it is important that the nominee be prominent and well-known with many friends and acquaintances willing to plunk down a donation for a worthy charity. These dinners also provide opportunities for old friends to gather and exchange tales of the good old days.

If there is one thing my years on this earth have taught me, it is that there are thousands of unsung heroes and heroines in our midst who go about their daily routine without fanfare.

They do not make, nor do they seek, headlines. They are the salt of the earth, the backbone of a free and democratic society.

Seldom do their good deeds become known beyond a close circle.

All of which brings me to Gracie and an unusual act of kindness that changed her world.

Gracie was a fiercely independent little lady who was determined to make her way. When she asked for a job selling the Las Vegas Sun at the corner of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street, then-publisher Hank Greenspun ordered his circulation director to prepare Gracie's bundle of newspapers; and they were to be given to her free.

It wasn't long before she had regular customers, most of whom paid her more than the going cost of the newspaper.

One of customers was a talented, young singer named Johnny Mathis, who drove by Gracie's newsstand every day. He admired the spunk of this lady, but was disturbed by the fact that her cheery smile was marred by a mouthful of decaying teeth.

Mathis made arrangements for her to have the decayed teeth removed and replaced with a bright set of false teeth. Now her smile sparkled as she thanked her customers.

Gracie became president of her one-woman Mathis fan club and could be seen frequently in the front row as a guest of the singer.

Gracie never forgot. For years she would tell her story and proudly point to her dazzling set of teeth -- a gift from a young man who reached out to bring joy to a less-fortunate human being.

I tell this story as an example of spontaneous giving and compassion.

There are so many stories I could tell where lives have been changed by simple acts of kindness.

A boy came, with his mother, to the office one day. He was covered with sores on his face, arms, hands and scalp. The lad had a severe case of psoriasis.

Just that morning a group of students had thrown rocks at him to keep him off the school playground. Teachers didn't want him in their class. It was the most pathetic situation.

Through sheer luck, we learned of a young doctor at Stanford Research Clinic who was specializing in psoriasis. He agreed to take the case, but we would be responsible for getting the boy to the clinic and providing housing for his mother while the lad was in the hospital.

The response from the community was tremendous. The last time I saw that child, his skin was clear and life was much easier to bear. Though psoriasis is not a curable disease, it can be kept under control.

The doctors, the parents and the people who came to his aid were all heroes. Stories like these are repeated every day in cities all across the nation and the world. No matter how small the compassionate act may be, there's absolute truth in the knowledge that we can all make a difference if we just take the time to care.

I have been requested to repeat the information regarding the sessions on Identity Theft being conducted by Lt. Steve Frank and Sgt. Eddie Kravitz of Metro Police.

Glad to oblige.

The sessions will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Henderson Community Room at Saturn of Henderson in the Valley Auto Mall. Admission is free. Call 735-4775.