ROSE (roz) n. One of the most beautiful of all flowers, a symbol of fragrance and loveliness. Often given as a sign of appreciation.

RASPBERRY (raz’ber’e) n. A sharp, scornful comment, criticism or rebuke; a derisive, splatting noise, often called the Bronx cheer.

We hereby deliver:

• ROSES to the many friends and grieving family of Edward Paul “Ed” Bomber. We were unsure when we published a photo of him that the information we had about his age — 48 — could possibly be correct. He looked like the picture of health of a much younger man.

Bomber was a living example of the merits of an active, healthy life that he enjoyed sharing. Among the many people who paid tribute to Bomber in the days after his bicycle slid under a log truck in Philomath on the morning of Oct. 2 were his colleagues in the marketing group at Hewlett-Packard Co., the people he met through Northwest Multisports, the downtown store he co-owned, the triathletes who found it a gathering place and his many friends.

We’re not only sorry to lose his vibrant presence, we’re sorry that it has prompted such acrimony between bicyclists and motorists. That is pointless. We won’t employ the cliche of finding something good from an unmitigated tragedy such as this, but there is no evidence of any wrongdoing; just a sorrowful reminder that we all need to be watchful for each other and aware of how much can be so quickly lost.

• RASPBERRIES to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving, at least in the vicinity of Napa, Idaho. They have done a disservice to Napa residents Mike and Rosealinda Harn by “disinviting” them from participation in anti-drunken driving exhibitions at state fairs and the like. The reason?

Some people think Rose Harn is hard to look at. Paralyzed and blind in one eye, her face frozen into the expression of delivering an exaggerated, open-mouthed wink, she has appeared in her wheeled bed at many MADD events in the 22 years since a 16-year-old drunken driver ran a stop sign and plowed into her car. But after Mike Harn was removed as a volunteer at the Idaho State Fair, he has filed a discrimination complaint against MADD.

The organization said it’s rethinking its long practice of bringing accident victims to public events because they are “too disturbing.”

Our first reaction: Since when is it OK to suggest that people with disfiguring injuries should do us all a favor and stay out of sight?

We can’t be sure what Rose Harn thinks, but we invite the Idaho chapter of MADD to consider that Rose Harn might not mind being “disturbing” if that means she also is thought-provoking.

• ROSE-BERRIES to a story that left us with mixed feelings.

We have nothing but roses for Oregon State Police Senior Trooper Terry Schuler, who is nothing if not tenacious.

On Sept. 25, a man brought his black 1977 Chevrolet pickup truck for a Vehicle Identification Number inspection. We don’t know why, but when Trooper Schuler couldn’t find it in the usual places, he started searching in the less usual ones. After much fruitless searching, he found it in the archived files of the National Insurance Crime Bureau — reported stolen on Oct. 30, 1986.

In other words, Schuler cleared a 22-year-old stolen vehicle report. The original owner long ago was paid off by the insurance company, so the pickup now belongs to Farmer’s Insurance.

Bad news, however, for the owner who bought the pickup, which is the “berries” part of this story — a reminder to make sure of clear title before a sale.

• ROSE BUD to Helen Davidson, 83, who received Roses last week for sharing the story of a how a young man impersonating her grandson convinced her to send him $5,300 to get out of jail last month.

(By the way, we’re calling this a rose bud because it’s a former rose that has renewed life.)

This week, an 80-year-old Corvallis man called police Tuesday to report that he, too, had received such a call from a young man who pleaded with him to wire $2,000 to a Canadian bank. The man said he had read of Davidson’s experience, and he refused.

It’s nice when knowledge — and an outspoken Oregon woman — partner up to foil crime.