Well,Adam,being on a first-name basis and all,perhaps I can be so
  candid as to point out that the issue goes beyond gender specificity,
  to just an old-fashioned solecism:the possessive adjective "their"
  is plural,but the possessor to whom it refers is singular. Does your
  e-mail address really signify that you are part of the vaunted ("Great
  Books") University of Chicago? Robert Hutchins would turn over in his
  (its?) grave. Incidentally,the requested letter will be sent,sans sig-
  nature,via e-mail--vere dignum et justum est.
                                                  R.B.Burckel

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007, Adam Bohlander wrote:

> > Hi Robert!
> >
> > The request is in fact real, please excuse the use of their instead of the
> > singular gender specific his/hers.
> > -adam