Albert Lea and Marion Ross are connected, and there are no two ways about it. A recent letter questioned what she has done for Albert Lea and whether the theater should be renamed for the famous TV actress.

The comments warrant comparison to another theater named for a famous Minnesotan: the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul. He spent part of his youth in Buffalo, N.Y., before returning to St. Paul. It wasn’t for long because he attended prep school in Hackensack, N.J., and for college he attended Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. Like any college or prep school student, he visited St. Paul occasionally. Later, after an Army stint in Alabama, he revised a book while in St. Paul. When it was published, he quickly moved away again and for good.

But what did he ever give St. Paul? In fact, how much time did he really spend in St. Paul?

Yet St. Paul claims him.

And it should. The city was the primary home of his youth and his birthplace.

That a native son of St. Paul became a famous writer is honor enough for St. Paulites. Having his name on a theater is great recognition for that landmark.

Same for Ross in her acting career. Ross spent most of her formative youth in Albert Lea, though she was born in Watertown. And so what if she spent part of her youth in Waconia and Willmar? Albert Lea is her hometown.

Lending her name to the city theater is providing excellent recognition for Albert Lea. The renaming is not only the city’s gift to her; it’s also her gift to the city. She indeed has and is giving so much to our community.

Naysayers, especially ones who want a detailed list of her “donated generosities,” lack civic pride and are envious of her success. To them, we say: Get a life.