Businessletter

SARAH BARTON

111 SECOND AVE.

TROY, NY 19999

BARTOS@RPI.EDU

(518) 233-1111

14 February 1996

To whom it may concern;

It is my pleasure to recommend John (Jake) Smith for any position in business, marketing,

graduate school, or wherever his fortunes take him. He is a quick-witted, bright, young man

who makes his own opportunities, and I have no doubt he will go far.

I have known Jake since 1991 when I was teaching English and journalism at Georgia State

University. I came to look forward to the critical thinking abilities he brought to every class

discussion, no matter which class he was taking. An experienced public speaker, Jake's

poise and engaging manner often drew his classmates into greater participation in

discussions.

To be sure, Jake is an excellent salesperson, and he is well-suited for marketing. His ideas

are original and creative and often cut right to the heart of a selling point. He can think on

his feet and improvise. I've seen him do it many times with the charm of a Tom Sawyer, and

I just shake my head and smile.

But by far the greatest asset Jake has is his strength of character. Over the years I have seen

Jake face adversities that would have stopped a lesser person