A lot of my friends have been telling me that there's no Doc Tyler, but I don't know if I believe them or not. Is there a Doc Tyler?

-Virginia in Valentine

Dear Virginia,

Yes, there is a Doc Tyler, as much as there are Virginias or friends or college students drinking beer on the weekend. Why, where would the world be without a Doc Tyler? Who would be there to provide a favorite campus with weekly words of wisdom? Who would reflect on years of collegiate observation to relate his life to modern-day trials and tribulations? Not Doc Plimpton, Virginia, not Doc Marsh.

No Doc Tyler? You may as well say there's no Lord Jeff.

For nothing heals a gloomy Wednesday afternoon like a Doc Tyler column. When you think about it long enough, you realize that Doc Tyler exists in each of us. As long as the magic of journalistic license sparkles in the air, the spirit of Doc Tyler will continue to live in the hearts of believers.