Nobles and knaves

Nobles: Warm-hearted Frankie Mayo, for her cool charitable operation.

In Baghdad, the heat is on. It’s on the streets. It’s on the sands. It’s even in the shadows. And while some might like it hot, everyone — from the most die-hard thermophile to the most dedicated Marilyn Monroe fan — has their limits. If the temperature tops 110 next week as expected, the heat tolerance of U.S. troops will again be tested.

Fortunately, those solders still in the Iraq action have someone extremely cool looking out for them — Mrs. Mayo, the founder of Operation Air Conditioner. Her son, 21-year-old Cpl. Christopher Tomlinson, has been deployed to Iraq since April, and after hearing about his experience with melting bars of soap and exploding cans of shaving cream, Mrs. Mayo mailed him an air conditioner.

After hooking up his AC, he replied, “Goody! Send some more.”

So, Mrs. Mayo did. First the resident of Bear, Del., made sure that the air conditioners would work off military generators. Then she told her family, friends and neighbors about what she was doing. Soon, she had funds to send 14 air conditioners to Baghdad. Then, she had funds for 14 more. The local Home Depot donated a couple. The workers at a nearby UPS station agreed to pack them for free. Donations kept rolling in. Home Depot’s headquarters gave 600 air conditioners, and the fire, rescue and ambulance staff of New Castle County volunteered to pack them up.

Once they arrived, the carefully packed air conditioners were opened with hugs and even kisses, refreshing reminders of home. As Mrs. Mayo told NBC’s Ann Curry, “They’re all somebody’s kids … And they’re our loved ones, and they’re Americans. And they’re there doing a hell of a job.”

While the temperatures in Iraq aren’t likely to drop anytime soon, Operation Air Conditioner funds are falling steadily. To make a cool donation, click into www.operationac.com.

Knaves: Oral Suer, former president of the United Way of the National Capital Area, for uncharitable theft and pharisaical giving.

For years, Mr. Suer seemed to be a model of charitable moderation, shunning pay increases over his $196,000 salary. In 1998, he told a reporter from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, “My personal philosophy is, my compensation is adequate, and so I haven’t sought any more.”

In total, Mr. Suer received at least $1.5 million in improper payments during his three-decade tenure at United Way, according to an independent audit released this week by Pricewaterhouse-Coopers LLC. The audit was incomplete, since on his last day on the job, Mr. Suer was seen driving away with “several station wagon loads” of files. Mr. Suer even extracted private payments to cover public pledges he made to the United Way. Charles W. Anderson, the new CEO, said he was “horrified” by its findings and may sue Mr. Suer to get the money back.

He should. Mr. Suer has sullied his own reputation beyond repair and left a stain on the entire charity that will be long in the cleansing. Instead of waiting for the lawyers (and possibly the police), Mr. Suer should give his pilferings back to the United Way — and chip in a few bucks to Operation Air Conditioner.