Throwing Dr. Ludlum under the bus…
This is not a local story, but it is something that has happened here in the past and will no doubt happen again. Throwing those who made a historical contribution to our society under the bus, or in front of the bus whichever cliche you prefer, and re-naming schools, roads, bridges, parks, etc., after other people. We wonder why our children do not know our local histories, because many of us don’t know it to teach it and in this rush to teach to the test mentality very few schools teach anything about local history.
The Ludlum Elementary School in New York wanted to be the first to name their school after President-elect Barack Obama, supposedly at the demand of the over 400 students who attend there. Who was Charles Ludlow? Why was the school named after him?
Most elementary school students would look at the picture of Dr. Charles Ludlum and think he’s not cool, especially compared to Barack Obama, but when you do just a small amount of digging on the internet, without the Ludlum Family that part of New York may have well been very different as these excerpts from the 1896 “Portrait and Biographical Record of Queens County (Long Island) New York” about the Ludlum family show:
…one of the first to settle on Long Island, having come hither from England in an early day. The first of the name of whom we have any authentic information was William Ludlum, who died in 1766. His third son, Nicholas, was born in 1732 and died in 1788, having been a captain in the British Army prior to the Revolution. His grandson, Nicholas, was a prominent and wealthy merchant in New York, and it was he was erected the cemetery chapel in Jamaica. Since the period of their settlement on the island the family has been represented by men of ability and intelligence, who have been prospered in their various callings.
He (Charles Ludlum) obtained his education in the district schools and in Union Hall Academy, after which he entered the University of New York, and graduated from the literary department with the degree of A. B. in 1863. Two years later he graduated from the medical department, after which he spent two years in Bellevue Hospital, where was added to his theoretical knowledge a broad fund of professional information gained from practical experience.
In 1878 he came to Hempstead, where he at once took a leading position in his profession and here he has met with marked success in practice. He has also taken an active part in local affairs and has done his full share to make Hempstead the thriving and beautiful place it now is. Warmly interested in educational affairs, he has been for seven years a member of the Board of Education and is now its president. While a stanch Republican, he has never sought political honors, preferring to give his time to his private interests.
When he died:
Special to The New York Times.
October 14, 1930, TuesdayDR. LUDLUM DIES; LAST OF N.Y.U.’63; He Had Practiced Medicine on Long Island for Nearly Half a Century. ONCE SCHOOL BOARD HEAD Treated Wounded Soldiers in Virginia Camps During Civil War–Was a Religious Leader.
HEMPSTEAD, L.I., Oct. 13.–Dr. Charles Henry Ludlum, last surviving member of the college class of 1863 at New York University, a physician here for forty-nine years and president of the village Board of Education for thirty-eight years, died at his home, 34 Columbia Street, yesterday, after an illness of three days, at the age of 87 years.
For years I would go in and teach fourth grade students some of the local history of our area when we lived in Springfield Township. Most of them had no clue as to the rich history of our area or even why roads or schools were named what they were, the stories of how Toledo got the nickname Frogtown; the story of One and Two Stickney and the Toledo War; how the name of one of the elementary schools was spelled wrong; made them laugh and caught their interest. The way to create a love of history is to personalize it, teach it, remember it, not re-name it…
It shows what a shallow society we are and how we are doomed to failure because we do not appreciate nor remember not only the lessons of history but those who helped make our country what it is today. Anyone needing any further evidence of this need only walk through just about any of our local cemeteries and see how we remember those who came before us.
As President Obama, will have many things named after him, in reality most of the things named after him will be done in the exact same scenario as this. Rather than to name new things where he would be the first named in honor of, those who came before will be relegated into the forgotten…
Why do they need to name the school after him? Couldn’t they just name a part of the school, like the gym or the library, after Barack Obama?
This make me curious… are there any schools named after George W. Bush?
I also have to admit that I know very little about local history. I have been making a little bit of effort to find out how the street that I live on got its name, with little luck.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:53 pmYou’re 100% correct, Lisa. These kids have no appreciation for history. And why isn’t anyone telling those kids that they have so say in the name of the school?
November 24th, 2008 at 2:10 pm[...] “We wonder why our children do not know our local histories, because many of us don’t know it to teach it and in this rush to teach to the test mentality very few schools teach anything about local history,” Glass City Jungle says in “Throwing Dr. Ludlum Under The Bus.” [...]
November 24th, 2008 at 2:39 pmThank you for posting this Lisa.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:19 pmRobin I have some older books that might help, email the name of your street and I’ll see what I can find.
Jim, I think the part of that aspect that bothers me is that where did they get the idea to change the name. I’m all for them being excited about the historic nature of the election, but having had five children, some of them who have been very interested in the election process, deciding to want to change the name of a school based on an election is a bit out of the ordinary as an idea that the kids themselves would come up with.
It does not really appear anyone from the school pointed out why the school was named that way in the first place. As Robin pointed out, I could understand a new library or annex or a new facility.
Pam, for me it was something that bothered me. Then again I’m one of those who rebels against colorizing classic black and white movies and will always call the Cherry Street Bridge, the Cherry Street Bridge.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:33 pmHere’s a comparable scenario that deals with someone I admired, Shirley Chisholm, they recently announced they wanted to rename a governmental building after her, in this scenario it does not appear it was named after another person previously, as per the New York Times though last year there was discussion about selling the building.
If the building was indeed named after another person, I’d feel the same, if it however was not? Then as long as they aren’t still planning on selling it, because then it would seem to be a moot point, something new would still be better but…at least it’s not taking away from the effort and decision process others made in the past to name something after an individual.
Though I have to point out that considering she died in 2005, I don’t think anyone would have objected before had this been suggested. I’m not sure why they felt that they had to wait for Obama to be elected to be able to gain support. Whether or not he won, her accomplishments stand on their own.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:47 pmI’m still waiting for one of the new TPS school buildings to be named after William Jefferson Clinton, my main man Slick Willie!
November 24th, 2008 at 5:14 pmGood history info. I hadn’t heard about the idea of changing the school name. Usually you name a new building, road or hospital after a historical person or event.
This ‘renaming’ doesn’t seem right. Wait till a new building goes up if you want to name something after President Elect Obama.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pm@ Lisa, “Then again I’m one of those who rebels against colorizing classic black and white movies and will always call the Cherry Street Bridge, the Cherry Street Bridge.,
November 24th, 2008 at 9:29 pm~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa when I saw this post at work earlier I did not have time to comment. The first thing that came to mind is that I still call the Cherry Steet Bridge ” The Cherry Street Bridge. Also last night I told my hubby I wanted him to put “It’s A Wonderful Life on a DVD. He asked me if I wanted the color version. I quicly said “no” and told him “that takes the fun out of it”. They have even colorized “Mommy Dearest”. Not cool.
I am soooo with you on that one Tina, there is a unique art form that some of the classic movies in black and white have that colorizing just ruins. The use of a shadow, shading…It’s just not the same thing for me either. I tried to watch the colorized version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” once, it just didn’t feel the same.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:35 pmHow selective and concerned for history we have become now that one group of students wants to rename the school after president elect Obama.
Alabama
* Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway portion of Interstate 65 from Birmingham to Decatur)
* Ronald Reagan Spirit of America Field, Decatur. (Reagan visited the field in 1984)
Arizona
* The Ronald Reagan Fundamental School, Yuma, Arizona
* Ronald Reagan Road, Kingman, Arizona
California
* Ronald Reagan Elementary School, Bakersfield, California
* Ronald Reagan California Republican Center, Burbank, California (Headquarters of the California State Republican Party, renamed in 1996)
* Ronald Reagan Community Center, El Cajon, California (Formerly named the “El Cajon Community Center”, renamed in 2004)
* Ronald Reagan Building, Los Angeles (Formerly named the “Ronald State Office Building”, renamed in 1990)
* Reagan Room at The Jonathan Club, Los Angeles. (Reagan was an honorary member of the Jonathan Club. Formerly named the Renaissance Room, renamed in 2001)
* Ronald Reagan Distinguished American Award, presented annually since by the Jonathan Club, Los Angeles
* Reagan Center, Los Angeles (Los Angeles center of Childhelp USA)
* The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles. (Dedicated in 2000, opening in 2005)
* The Ronald Reagan Suite at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles (the suite is the entire 30th floor of the hotel, and was one of Reagan’s favorites)
* Ronald W. Reagan Federal Courthouse in Santa Ana
* Ronald Reagan Leadership Program, Santa Barbara (affiliated with the Young Americans Foundation.
* The Ronald Reagan Library and Center for Public Affairs
in Simi Valley.
* Ronald Reagan Freeway (State Route 118, previously named Simi Valley-San Fernando Valley Freeway, renamed in 1994)
Florida
* Florida’s Turnpike designated the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, though the existing name was not changed.
* Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Seminole County County Road 427, which kept the existing number but had all street signs changed
* Ronald Reagan Parkway, formerly Polk County County Road 54, which had all signs with the former number removed
Georgia
* Ronald Reagan Parkway in Gwinett County
Illinois
Institutions
* The Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Center, Alzheimer’s Association, Chicago
* Ronald W. Reagan Middle School in Dixon, formerly Madison School.
* Reagan Physical Education Center, Eureka College renamed in 1970 (previously named for Reagan and his brother Neil.
* Ronald Reagan Peace Garden, Eureka College (includes a piece of the Berlin Wall)
* Ronald W. Reagan Exhibit, Eureka College
* Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program, Eureka College
* Birthplace of Ronald Reagan (111 S. Main St. Tampico, now a museum)
* Reagan Park, Tampico (named 1985, formerly Railroad Park)
Roads
* Ronald Reagan Highway (U.S. Highway 14)
* Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 8
* Ronald W. Reagan Trail
* Reagan Drive, Eureka, Illinois (named in 1979)
* Reagan Way, Dixon, Illinois (A portion of Hennepin Avenue where Reagan walked from his home to the swimming hole as a youth)
Indiana
* Ronald Reagan Parkway Avon, Indiana
Louisiana
* Ronald Reagan Highway (US 190)
Mississippi
* The Reagan Hope Home
New Hampshire
* Mount Reagan – (NH changed name in 2003, but it conflicts with “Mount Clay”, still recognized by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names)
New York
* Ronald Reagan Boulevard
Ohio
* Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway (Ohio State Highway 126 north of Cincinnati), 1997
* Reagan Parkway (East-West Thoroughfare on the north side of town) Medina, Ohio
* Reagan Park, Medina, Ohio
Pennsylvania
* Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse, in Harrisburg (named on March 9, 2004)
Tennessee
* Ronald Reagan Parkway (State Route 840, a freeway around the southern part of the Nashville area
November 24th, 2008 at 11:36 pmFew clamoring to name things after current president
By Ken Herman
WASHINGTON BUREAU
Thursday, November 20, 2008
WASHINGTON — Former President George Bush has an aircraft carrier, an airport in Houston, a turnpike north of Dallas and the George Bush Center for Intelligence (the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.).
Lincoln has a tunnel. Washington has a bridge and a state. Hoover has a dam. Madison has a Square Garden.
President Ronald Reagan has nearly 100 things named in his honor, including a ballistic missile test site, a New Hampshire mountain and a bust at a McDonald’s in Alabama.
President George W. Bush has an elementary school, a Waco-area road and highways in Ghana and Georgia (the country, not the state).
Time will tell what else will bear the name of a president who, according to a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp., is less popular now than President Richard Nixon was when he resigned. Know of much named for Nixon?
The most recent effort to name something for Bush was not meant as a tribute. Bush critics in California wanted to change the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. Sixty-nine percent of voters gave it a thumbs down on Nov. 4, killing the idea.
School officials in Stockton, Calif., opted against that trend when George W. Bush Elementary School opened.
In October 2006, Bush went to the school to acknowledge the honor.
“When I pulled in the parking lot and I saw George W. Bush Elementary, I couldn’t think of a higher tribute to a person, and I thank you all and the citizens of this community for this honor and tribute,” Bush said at the time. “Frankly, I was a little emotional when I pulled in.”
Former President Bill Clinton offered similar sentiments at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary School in Compton, Calif., in September 2003.
“There are towns and roads and all manner of things named for former presidents. But there is nothing, nothing in the world I would rather have named for me than this school,” he said.
Indeed, many things in America are named for presidents. Norquist said there are about 800 things named for President John F. Kennedy, a fact Norquist uses in pushing for Reagan honors and tributes.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:48 pmWell, GCJ wasn’t around yet for the beginning of *any* of those presidencies, but had there been a GCJ then, and there was a sudden race to rename things (I mean for Pete’s sake, the man was just elected and somebody’s trying to name a mountain after him?) before the president-elect was even sworn in – I’m sure it would have been an issue then as well.
The point of this article is that somebody who was very important to the community was brushed aside for a man only just elected into office, who really had nothing to do with that community’s local history. It seems that perhaps the school was most looking forward to riding the wave of Obama popularity and getting fame for being “the first” than it was honoring its own past. The point is, we really seem to forget our local histories.
Obama fan or not, I’m sure you can recognize that.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:59 amwwforlife,
I’m not sure I get your point about Ronald Reagan. Should things not be named for him? At least Ronald Reagan has a record of success as president. Perhaps Obama will. We’ll see.
I wonder if anybody in Spiro Agnew’s hometown rushed out to name something after him when he was elected to the vice presidency.
November 25th, 2008 at 5:54 amBrian,
Reagan did set a record in his eight years in office. Record deficits which held until more of his “conservative” ilk took over and broke his records. Maybe we can name a bankruptcy court or food kitchen after Reagan since every day folk following his policies have put themselves in the poor house.
November 25th, 2008 at 7:14 amMark,
I’m not going to argue the Reagan record with you here. It suffices to say that the outpouring of affection and nostalgia for him and his presidency upon his death spoke for most of us. Had he done the damage that you and others claim, he would not have been that popular.
He was not perfect. His presidency was not perfect. He was the first president I know of who ever went before the American people, looked them in the eye, and said, “I mislead you (on Iran-Contra) and I am sorry.”
Imagine the goodwill Jimmy Carter would earn if he just apologized for his entire presidency. I know I’d think more of him.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:36 amI could understand a new school being named after Obama but to change the name of an existing school named in honor of someone else is just wrong.
Yes, the Cherry Street Bridge will always be the Cherry Street Bridge.
November 25th, 2008 at 9:30 amwww, first I stated how I felt in general about naming places for people that were already named for someone else and I stated that I’m positive many things will be named in honor of President elect Obama which traditionally happens after a president is done with his term, rare times during their term.
It’d be like naming Scott High School after George Bush, taking the work of someone in the community who actually contributed to the education system and then showing it doesn’t matter to the community because they want to be the first to name a school after Obama. What kind of a message does that really send to the students there? “Your past doesn’t matter, history doesn’t matter, all that matters is getting your 15 minutes of fame.”
Personally I think it’s dumb to tear down old schools and then when rebuilding them, especially if they are not even on the same location and giving them the old name. This school they call “Bowsher High School” is not E.L. Bowsher High School…The real Bowsher High School will be gone, the memories and the history of that building are on another part of S. Detroit Avenue.
If Hillary had been the candidate I’d feel the same way, had McCain and Palin won, I’d feel the same way. I’m tired of our history being tossed away.
November 25th, 2008 at 10:01 amI wonder if race has anything to do with the renaming?
November 25th, 2008 at 11:00 amIn a way it was related to race, the majority of students who attend there are Hispanic and Black, it’s easy to understand why they would be much more excited about the first President of color, than some old white dude that they can’t identify with.
To me it’s more evidence of how we have not done a good job as a society of teaching why history matters, inspiring them to see that some of these old dead white guys deserve to be remembered. Which really ends up not being that much about race as it is some of them not being taught why history is important. Which also is how some adults feel, many don’t really care about history, they think it’s boring.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:37 amI wonder if this school will teach children that there are 57 states and jobs is a three letter word?
November 25th, 2008 at 12:09 pmI suspect the school administrators/teachers influenced the whole thing. I really wouldn’t expect a group of elemetary school kids to do this on their own.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:11 pmPam, I would hope that that would not be taught as well as not teaching them that Governor Palin thought Africa was a Country. As Palin’s own aide stated her misstatement on that was similar to the 57 state error by Obama. Same with Biden’s gaffe, if they are going to be taught about them at all, I’d hope it would be done in not only an equal manner but one that shows everyone, even presidential or vice presidential candidates are not perfect, they are human.
Not Again, either the school administrators/teachers or parents. When my 14 year old had to write an honors project on a presidential candidate she said it was clear that a majority of the students in her class wrote about the candidates one or more of their parents supported. She was one of the few that did the research and decided on her own who she wanted to write about.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:43 pmMaybe the school is looking for a little wealth spreading by the Messiah. It is a shame that the administration would take advantage of the students like this though.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:51 pmThen we’d have to say the same of the school administration in Stockton, California. It’s clear naming the school after the President created a scenario where he appeared there. Except in that scenario it appears to be a new school, which is different than what has been done in the past or in this situation where it’s been named after someone else.
A president can’t make sure a school gets additional funding, unless of course they want to spend their own money. If one were to do that just because a school was named after them, it’d be an abuse of power.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:57 pmThe great Messiah is capable of anything. There is no such thing as abuse of power where he is concerned. He is all powerful.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:05 pmWell, anyone that actually believes that is in for a very disappointing four years.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:07 pmLisa, I believe the report of Sarah Palin and the Africa comment was by some disgruntled unidentified McCain staffer. Greta Van Susteren even questioned a source close to the McCain campaign that said Gov. Palin never said that.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:09 pmIs it just me or does the math on Dr. Ludlam not add up?
DR. LUDLUM DIES; LAST OF N.Y.U.’63; He Had Practiced Medicine on Long Island for Nearly Half a Century. ONCE SCHOOL BOARD HEAD Treated Wounded Soldiers in Virginia Camps During Civil War…
But in the other bio you found, he was in college until 1865:
He (Charles Ludlum) obtained his education in the district schools and in Union Hall Academy, after which he entered the University of New York, and graduated from the literary department with the degree of A. B. in 1863. Two years later he graduated from the medical department, after which he spent two years in Bellevue Hospital…
How did he treat wounded soldiers in Virginia when he was in college at NYU and working at Bellevue?
November 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pmMaybe he took a leave from Bellevue, there was a war going on, 1861–1865, maybe the New York Times got his obituary wrong.
Pam, I was basing that on this source:
Longtime Palin staffer Meg Stapleton told ABC News’ Kate Snow that Palin had fumbled over an Africa comment, but that it was a misspeak not worthy of the press coverage it received.
She explained that during a briefing session, someone asked Palin to explain the McCain-Palin stance on an issue, and as she was responding, “in the middle, she said ‘country of Africa’ and somebody instantly wrote it down and said, ‘Oh, my God, she thinks it’s a country.’”
But “she knows it’s a continent,” Stapleton said. “It was just a human mistake, just like Obama saying 57 states. I don’t think anyone ever doubted that Obama knows there are 50 states.”
November 25th, 2008 at 1:27 pmLisa, I of course do not want to get on your S— list IF you have one
and I do not wish to take on the group that is sometimes overly anti-Obama on everything, but I sense that there are other reasons for this outpouring of feelings and accusations about the kids and their desires. How Obama plays a role in this is beyond me! I won’t even begin to list the thousands and thousands of name changes that have occurred in history on any and everything and the battles about these name changes, some that have even made adults go to blows. But this is a small group of kids, and before we accuse school officials of manipulating the kids on this one, and not teaching respect for history, could we not see that a small school with small children might want to do this without being accused of all of the accusation that have been hurled at them on this blog?
“me thinks thou doest protest too loudly”
Tsk, tsk, tsk. One small school with a small amount of students wants to name thier school after the first Afro-American president and we get:
1. Sarah Palin.
2. “Your past doesn’t matter, history doesn’t matter, all that matters is getting your 15 minutes of fame.”
3.”I suspect the school administrators/teachers influenced the whole thing. I really wouldn’t expect a group of elementary school kids to do this on their own.”
4. “Kids have no appreciation for history.”
5. “To change the name of an existing school named in honor of someone else is just wrong.”
6. “In a way it was related to race.”
7. “It is a shame that the administration would take advantage of the students like this though.”
8. To me it’s more evidence of how we have not done a good job as a society of teaching why history matters.
9.Accusations that Obama is the messiah.
10. The great Messiah is capable of anything. There is no such thing as abuse of power where he is concerned. He is all powerful.
They are kids… reacting to the times they live in. Could anyone show me the students reason for wanting to change the name of the school or should we just angrily choose any or all of the above reasons.
They are kids.
“I am sure that thou doest protest too loudly”
November 26th, 2008 at 2:20 amwww, by now you should know that I can not foresee any kind of a scenario where you would ever end up on my shit list, if I had one.
I know some are against this because they did not vote for Obama and are not exactly his biggest fan. That has nothing to do with my problems/concerns, nor do I dispute the historic first aspect.
We don’t really know why beyond being told the students suggested this as a result of mock presidential debates held at the school. Even if one believed that this was true, which I have a hard time believing that elementary aged children would come up with this idea on their own, my concern would be exactly the same.
We are deleting our history…person by person…bit by bit…
If this elementary school was new or was named something generic, this post would never have been written. If Clinton would have won, or had McCain and this school or another one named after a real person who helped create that community did the same thing? This post would have still been written…
If they truly wanted the students to not only celebrate but learn, they could have named the school “The Ludlum-Obama Elementary” that would have celebrated not only the past but the future…
November 26th, 2008 at 11:18 amLISA, THANK GOD FOR AMERICA WHERE WE HOPEFULLY CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE IN A CIVIL MANNER VOID OF DOOMSDAY SCENARIO’S FOR AMERICA BECAUSE OF A DECISION BY A GROUP OF SCHOOL KIDS. (IF THAT IS REALLY THE ISSUE) OR SHOULD WE ADD TO THE CONSTITUTION THAT STUDENTS CAN NOT SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATE FOR THINGS THAT THEY BELIEVE IN AND FLOOD BLOGS WITH HOW THIS IS THE END OF AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT. ARE SOME PEOPLE SO INSECURE OR ANGRY THAT AN ISSUE LIKE THIS DESERVES ALL OF THE DIRE PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICA. BLACK PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE A HISTORY OF THROWING WHITE MEN UNDER THE BUS AS BLACKS HAVE NEVER HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE FOR ANYONE OTHER THAN A WHITE MAN FOR PRESIDENT ALL OF THEIR VOTING LIVES UNTIL NOW. AND IN MY DAY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE OR TWO BLACKS, THE SCHOOL HISTORY BOOKS WERE ALL BUT VOID OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK PEOPLE. ALSO, I AM SURE THAT WITH THE ELECTION OF ONE WHITE PRESIDENT OR THE OTHER, BLACK PEOPLE DID NOT PREDICT THE END OF THE WORLD OR FREEDOM IN AMERICA AS IS DONE WITH THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA. AND BLACKS HAVE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RE-WRITE HISTORY AND MAKE VILLAINS OF HEROES AND HEROES OF VILLAINS AS IS DONE TODAY ON A MASSIVE SCALE. AS WITH ANY BLOG OR ANY OTHER PUBLISHED ARTICLES THERE ARE SOUND OPINIONS AND THOSE BY THAT ARE LESS THAN SOUND. I JUST QUESTION THE DOOMSDAY BLOGS THAT PREDICT THAT THIS SCHOOL NAMING IS THE END OF AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT. NOT EVEN WAR CAN ACCOMPLISH THE END OF AMERICA, LESS ON A DECISION BY A LITTLE SCHOOL TO CHANGE IT’S NAME. DO YOU THINK THAT A BOOK ON POSITIVE, CIVIL AND CONSTRUCTIVE BLOGGING FOR DUMMIES WOULD SELL?
“Yes We Can!” Students Rename School for Obama
November 21, 2008 1:41 PM
ABC News’ Matt Jaffe Reports:
A New York elementary school has been re-named in honor of President-elect Barack Obama. Ludlum Elementary School in Long Island’s Hempstead Union Free School District was re-named at a board meeting Thursday, at the request of numerous school students.
“Just to watch these kids after the board voted on what they asked them to do, they were so elated,” school district superintendent Dr. Joseph Laria told ABC News. “You want to talk about “Yes we can!”? That was a lesson in democracy.”
Effective immediately, Ludlum will now be known as Barack Obama Elementary School, following a decision by the board to adopt the resolution drafted by students and staff.
Before this month’s election, the 5th grade class had a mock presidential debate at the school, which sits near Hofstra University, site of the third and final presidential debate between Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
“The kids were really into it,” Laria said. “They had this fabulous debate…it was just outstanding.”
“The children received such a response from the community and the parents that they were so energized that they said that if Obama becomes president, we would be so proud to have our school named after him, especially because this is an African-American and Latino community that celebrates diversity,” said Laria.
Most of the school’s students are African-American or Latino, the superintendent stated.
So on Thursday night the kids came before the board to read essays describing what they had learned from the mock debate experience and appealing for the school to be re-named.
Their resolution read as follows:
“Whereas the Ludlum School students conducted a mock presidential debate related to the recent presidential elections and whereas the students did a wonderful job of carrying out their tasks and demonstrating their patriotism at an early age and whereas in recognition of their efforts and the victorious feat of Sen. Barack Obama in becoming the first African-American president of the United States, it be resolved that the Hempstead Board of Education proudly renames Ludlum Elementary School as the Barack Obama Elementary School.”
The board then adopted the resolution by a vote of 5-0, re-naming the school immediately.
“People in the audience just stood up and applauded,” said Laria. “It was very well received…very poignant.”
The school is now planning a re-dedication ceremony following Obama’s inauguration in January, complete with the unveiling of a new sign.
And of course, the nation’s 44th president is invited, Laria said, as is New York Governor David Paterson, who once attended Hempstead High School in the same school district.
So is the school receiving any criticism from anyone opposing the name change?
“As of this moment, no,” noted Laria, emphasizing that the re-naming stemmed from the wishes of the students.
“The lesson in civics and democracy that these kids learned and even the process of coming before a public body and making a presentation, it was all child-oriented and that’s what touched me,” said an “enormously proud” Laria. “It wasn’t some board member for political reasons grand-standing.”
However, the name change might take a little while to sink in with some employees. When answering the phone today, a school official still said “Ludlum”…
-Matt Jaffe
November 26th, 2008 at 5:39 pmYes, that’s the first article, which doesn’t address what this post is about – the history lost and the lesson that it’s okay to teach children that the past doesn’t matter. It’s no shocker that someone in support of this would state it was not grandstanding.
I think we all have seen scenario after scenario where we are not told the truth by elected officials…
November 26th, 2008 at 6:28 pmJust as I predicted, Cleveland Councilman sees this as a race to win the naming game. Who does Reed want to replace?
The school Reed wants renamed now is named after the man credited as the first American to die spying for the United States. As the British prepared to hang Nathan Hale, he reportedly said, “I regret only that I have but one life to give to my country,” according to the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Thanks to Ben for pointing out the story.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:11 am