Name parks after the living, too

Wichita city officials would like to name a ball field and a bike path after two deserving Wichitans — former major-leaguer Daryl Spencer and former Wichita parks director Tom Allen. The problem is, a 2003 city policy says park property can only be named after the deceased.
As a result, the Wichita City Council pulled the item from its agenda Tuesday. But how about changing the policy? It doesn’t make much sense, considering that Wichita already has a number of local facilities named after living sports heroes, including Lynette Woodward, Barry Sanders (in photo) and Goose Doughty. And a Wichita public library has been named after the living — Maya Angelou, the poet, is still with us.
How much better to honor deserving people when they’re still around to appreciate it.
Council members should have the authority to decide who is deserving of this honor, whether living or dead.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

9 Comments

  1. Jane Crouch
    Posted June 6, 2006 at 1:27 am | Permalink

    I agree with Randy Scholfield’s opinion that land marks should be named after those whom are still with us.

    I grew up just outside of Haysville and attended Haysville schools. A few years ago, Haysville built a new grade school. The officials named the school Ruth Clark Elementary. Mrs. Clark is alive. I was very excited to see that the officials did name it after her. She was a great teacher. She taught for many years in the Haysville system. There were so many of us whose lives were truly changed due to the wisdom, paitence, and educational information we received from Mrs.Clark. Naming a school after her while she is alive is a way to show apprecitation for one’s dedication to making the community better.

    I encourage city officials to rethink the law and allow naming of public places while the person is still alive.

  2. TRACY
    Posted June 6, 2006 at 6:44 am | Permalink

    So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet……and I get on as a looper at a course in the Himalayas.A looper?A looper. You know, a caddy, a looper… …a jock. So I tell them I’m a pro jock and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. The son of the Lama. With flowing robes, grace, bald, striking.I’m on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one. Big hitter, the Lama. Long! Into a foot crevice right at the base of this glacier! Do you know what the Lama says? “Gunga galunga. Gunga gunga da gunga.”So we finish and he’s going to stiff me. And I say, “Hey, Lama! “How about a little something, you know, for the effort?” And he says, “There won’t be any money… “…but when you die, on your deathbed… “…you will receive total consciousness.”

    So I’ve got that going for me… which is nice.

  3. Joe Williams
    Posted June 6, 2006 at 7:39 am | Permalink

    Goose Doughty is still around? Cool! :)

  4. raptor
    Posted June 6, 2006 at 7:47 am | Permalink

    Imagine the scenario….the city names a park/building/etc., after a living person. (I am NOT saying this applies to any of the current candidates..bear with me please.)

    Then, the person is embroiled in a scandal of some sort. Then what happens? Say it is a child porn arrest and the person’s name is on an elementary school, what is to be done?

    Not saying it is likely, but it is a possible reason for the existing policy.

  5. TRACY
    Posted June 6, 2006 at 8:57 am | Permalink

    Imagine…You could just go back and change the name.Stranger things have happened.I’ll bet there WAS a bunch of stuff named with Enron.Wonder what they call them now?

  6. True Blue
    Posted June 6, 2006 at 11:59 am | Permalink

    I’d like to see a park named after Gordon Parks . . . the Parks Park.

  7. Gertie
    Posted June 7, 2006 at 11:54 am | Permalink

    This really seems like a non-issue to me. Why not honor the person while they’re living? At Friends University, when Dr. Cecil Riney retired, the school renamed the Fine Arts Building after him. Ruth Clark Elementary is another example of a building named after the living. Half the buildings in Wichita are named for the living — although, sometimes, admittedly, they paid for the privilege (i.e., Koch Arena and Eck Stadium). And if Barry Sanders and Lynnette Woodard can have parks named for them, why not Spencer and Allen? Name the parks after Spencer and Allen and get on with it, for Heaven’s sake!

  8. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted June 7, 2006 at 11:57 am | Permalink

    nice email address gertie. ltns.

  9. Gertie
    Posted June 7, 2006 at 12:27 pm | Permalink

    Thanks. I needed to take a little break from blogging to preserve my sanity.