Change historical figure’s name, not the place named for

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, December 26, 2023

There is an ongoing movement to change the names of places, streets, geological features, and now even birds, because the original names might be offensive.

This is a hit-or-miss procedure that can never be satisfactorily completed, because we never know when an item may pop up whose name calls to mind an historical figure who has already been shown unworthy and whose name has already been expunged from many namesake objects.This is especially true of many Confederate Civil War generals.

I have a suggestion that might simplify matters. Instead of changing the names of places, etc., we should just change the names of the generals. That way, whenever a previously known offensive name appears, the sting will have already been removed. Existing names could be used, which do not bring to mind a particular person. (This will require that some history be rewritten, but that’s never been a problem.)

As an example, George Pickett’s name appears on at least two mountains in our state. This is because, as a captain, he gained fame as the commander of the U.S. forces on San Juan Island during the Pig War with Great Britain.

Later, as a Confederate general, he commanded his division in the famous “Pickett’s Charge” at Gettysburg, where his command was virtually destroyed. This was enough to endear him to all loyal Southerners. But he fought for slavery, so we don’t want him memorialized in any way.

Rather than expunging his name from our geography, we could just change his name to one that does not rankle with anyone. The name “Harrigan” comes to mind. It’s a name that a shame has never been connected with.

Charles DeBruler

Everett