The name game
I'm old enough to remember when MLK Boulevard was Union Avenue, Naito Parkway was Front Avenue, and César Chávez Boulevard was 39th Avenue. I call all these streets by their new names, although occasionally I lapse on 39th. With that one, the old name – the number – actually gave helpful information.
Anyway, yesterday an alert reader sent me a link to this story about mismanagement of facilities at a Portland public high school, and given that it was one of the recently renamed ones, it bugged me that I couldn't tell what school they were talking about. I had to look it up.
But now that I have, I've figured out an easy way to keep things straight. McDaniel High is what Madison used to be. M to M! And Wells is the old Wilson. W to W! Piece of cake.
Now I'm sure I'm supposed to go all out and call the schools Leodis V. McDaniel and Ida B. Wells (or even Ida B. Wells-Barnett), but I'm sorry, kids. I'm an old guy, and you'll have to meet me halfway on this. Besides, I don't call Lincoln and Grant by their namesakes' full monikers, so let's just strike a blow for uniformity, shall we? (And the same for Chávez Boulevard. Who even knows what Burnside's and Couch's first names were, much less their middle initials?)
And so, my fellow oldies, remember: M to M, W to W. (And forget about Marshall.) You're welcome.
Us SWers all call it Wells, even the parents and kids. This one however? It's a little bit tougher to remember: https://www.portland.gov/parks/park
ReplyDeleteClassic airhead move by Nurse Amanda. What a city she left us.
DeleteThis is all news to me. Pretty soon they are going to run out of marginal historical figures to replace President’s names with. Let’s hope at least.
ReplyDeleteGee, do you think there might be a reason Ida Wells is a “marginal historic figure”?
DeleteWondered the same thing
DeleteI had to look her up online. Couldn’t they at least name it after someone from the area or with a connection to Oregon?
DeleteAnd from what I can gather, the one in Portland is the ‘only’ school named after her in all of the US. Could be wrong but I got no other hits. You would think that if she had been so influential, that she would had numerous things named after her, and that she would be a household name.
DeleteAnd this coming from someone who has a pretty good grasp on US and world history.
The selection committee is quite proud of themselves.
DeleteIt’s actually officially SE Cesar E Chavez Blvd. You forgot the all important E, which stands for . . .? I don’t know, but whatever the E stands for, make sure you include it so no one will confuse Cesar E with all the other Cesar Chavezes.
DeletePretty sure we have an Ida B Wells school in San Francisco (duh)
DeleteIda’s work is noteworthy by today’s social values. At the time she was active, very few noticed or cared. Kinda like Van Gogh
ReplyDelete