I LOVE getting feed- back to columns, which more often than not includes interesting stories or a different take on my topic.

That's the case with a note I received recently from friend and former Fredericksburg City Councilman George Van Sant, who now lives in Irvington.

He said that my recent column about how it took years for me to admit I needed reading glasses provoked a number of memories, including one that involved former Virginia Gov. Chuck Robb.

"You may remember that I had the unique privilege of being Gov. Robb's first company commander in officer candidate school when he was becoming a Marine officer," said Van Sant. "This led to a friendship which I am happy to say persists today."

Van Sant recalled that not long after Robb took office as governor, he was scheduled to come to Mary Washington College for some special occasion.

"Knowing of my acquaintance with the governor, [MWC] President [William] Anderson had me help with the arrangements for his visit," said Van Sant, then a professor at the college. "One of the specifications passed on from the governor's staff was that the surface holding his speech on the lectern was to be exactly, if I recall correctly, 57 inches from the floor."

Van Sant tried to make sure that demand was met, but somehow the lectern came up a few inches short.

When Robb arrived, he was warmly welcomed and dived into an inspiring speech.

"Unfortunately," on that day, "he had a tendency to bend over and even stumbled on the wording a number of times during the speech."

Van Sant said when it was all over and the governor departed, a number of his colleagues on the faculty approached him and, "with general concern, asked me if the governor had been all right."

He added that, "Several thought he might have been ill and a couple even had the temerity to suggest that he might have been a little bit tipsy. I too had noticed that Chuck did not seem to be his dynamic, take-charge self."

At this point, Van Sant said he remembered the exact specification about the lectern height, and wrote a personal letter to the governor.