The Would-Be King Last week, The Memphis Flyer took an in-depth look at the Memphis Park Commission's controversial plan to transform Confederate Park into a tribute to cancer survivors. The commission had given its preliminary approval of the site and was ready to sign final negotiations with the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation later this month. Just days later, though, park commission chairman John Malmo unilaterally decided the proposal would be scrapped. Apparently, relaying this decision to The Commercial Appeal (where he is a weekly columnist) took priority over informing the five-member board which is held responsible for our city parks. In his statement, Malmo said that "it was my suggestion, and mine alone" to locate the cancer survivors' park in the Confederate Park site. But after speaking with several public officials and a Bloch Foundation spokeswoman, we know that's not only false but insulting to the Foundation employees and Memphis park officials who conducted an exhaustive four-year search to arrive at a site that would meet everyone's stipulations. Now they have to start all over again. And so we ask: Who gave John Malmo the power to make snap decisions regarding major proposals to Memphis' parks? Why didn't he extend to his fellow commission members the courtesy of at least discussing the matter before announcing "his" decision? Why do we even bother having a parks commission in the first place? Why not just crown Malmo king and get it over with? If these events aren't enough of a slap in the face to the people who have worked on the park plan, consider that no one at the R.A. Bloch Foundation was personally informed of the decision. Someone left a message with the unrelated H&R Bloch tax preparation firm, explaining that the cancer survivors' park in Memphis was off. (Fortunately, someone there passed the news along to the foundation.) Why the Bloch Foundation should bother to keep on workng with the city of Memphis is a complete mystery to us, but park commission members insist there is still hope for a cancer survivors' park here. But maybe that's only if John Malmo decrees it so. The Gracious Golfer In this age of overpaid, crybaby professional athletes, the citizens of Memphis are truly fortunate to have PGA golfer Loren Roberts in our community. After winning a first-place check for $540,000 in the GTE Byron Nelson Classic on Sunday, Roberts rushed back to host his annual fund-raiser for the B.B. King Sickle Cell Center at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center. Roberts then went a step beyond tithing and gave $100,000 -- almost 20 percent of his Byron Nelson earnings -- to the Sickle Cell Center. While another professional athlete from Memphis is whining about being unappreciated (see Sports on page 17), Roberts quietly goes about his job, appreciative of his place in society. "Golf has afforded me a pretty nice life," Roberts told Bobby Hall at The Commercial Appeal. "And I've been so thrilled at the way I've been accepted into the Memphis community. I just felt it was the right thing to do." Well, Loren, we're thrilled to have you here. May your generosity be an example to all of us.