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| The current Pensacola Bay Bridge is named in honor of former Senate President Phillip D. Beall--this photo from the 1960s documents the bridge's ribbon cutting ceremony where Florida Governor LeRoy Collins presided..... |
As we celebrate today's Martin Luther King holiday and celebrate all that this leader did for our country--it is great to see so many people recognize his influence and contributions to the civil rights movement in America. It is great that communities around our nation have freeways, streets, buildings, schools and/or bridges named for Dr. King.
Again--this is a great thing.
The Escambia County School Board has named numerous educational facilities in honor of local leaders---to include the ECSD's former administrative building on Garden Street.
The Vernon McDaniel Building at 215 W. Garden Street was the school district's administrative headquarters until 2010. It was named for an African-American civil rights pioneer; McDaniel, the man, was the principal of Booker T Washington High School and he was the first African-American elected to the Escambia County School Board. He was also the first African-American to become Chairman of the Escambia School Board. He fought for equal pay for black school administrators and won this change through a settlement agreement with the school district.
In late 2009, the school district purchased Gulf Power's then administrative building at 75 N. Pace Blvd. It was known by many as the "Gulf Power" Building, or the "Pace" bldg. When the school district renovated and moved into this new administrative facility--the board was lobbied by the descendants of Vernon McDaniel to name the new school district administrative facility the "Vernon McDaniel" building. We did this (I was a member of the school board at that time), and there was no controversy at all. We did this because previous leadership in the school district had clearly intended that the school district's administrative HQ be named in honor of this man--this was the intention. And so we honored the will of the leaders that championed that designation.
Fast forward to early 2019 in Pensacola and a new bridge is being constructed from Pensacola to Gulf Breeze to replace the existing one that is nearing the end of its useful service life. The bridge currently carries the designation of "Phillip D. Beall Memorial Bridge." Phillip Beall was a Florida state senator and senate President in the 1943.
According to current policy and statutory regulations, FDOT intends to maintain the existing bridge's designation and apply it to the replacement bridge once the new structure is completed in 2021--because the intent of the state's legislative action of 1962 that gave this bridge this designation was that the bridge connecting Gulf Breeze with Pensacola was to honor Senator Beall.
But now here comes the controversy.....
Some folks want to take away the state's designation of this bridge and instead rename it in honor of General Daniel R. "Chappie" James--a deceased Pensacola resident who was a Tuskegee Airman and the nation's first African-American 4-Star General.
There is no doubt that Chappie James and the James family's descendants are deserving of this honor. No question at all.
The surviving family of Senator Beall, however, would prefer to keep the name of the new bay bridge as the Phillip D. Beall bridge is is standard practice and as comports with state law and administrative practice.
But seeing the brewing controversy--the Beall family has offered an olive branch in the form of an initiative to have the new bridge carry the designation of BOTH men--Senator Beall and General Chappie James. Thus far, this offer has apparently fallen upon deaf ears--which is disappointing.
The movement and the group behind renaming the bay bridge in honor of Chappie James apparently have no interest in allowing the replacement bridge to share the designation jointly. This group wants the bridge renamed for General James. This group instead prefers to honor Sen. Beall with a memorial plaque at the foot of the new bridge--while actually renaming the new bridge to honor General James. They intend to accomplish this via a legislative change in Tallahassee.
But is this the right way to go about this?
As I look back at what the school district did in 2010--I can't help but wonder what would have happened if we would have yanked away the McDaniel designation and replaced it with some other worthy individual's name? What if the designation was changed and a non-African-American figure was instead honored?(there are/were many worthy teachers, administrators, fallen war-hero former students, school board members, and/or others that might very well deserve this honor...many)
But really, what would have happened? What names would we have been called if we pulled this designation? I don't know for sure but it would have been ugly and embarrassing....Glad it didn't happen is all I'll say--because we did the right thing with that decision.
And so nobody knows how this new bridge-naming controversy will turn out. For my part, I would like nothing better than to have to two factions work together to achieve an amicable resolution to this issue that all sides could respect.
Because after all--if we could bring both of these men back to life and show them the bickering and machinations taking place behind these "efforts"--I believe both men would be disappointed. They know what most of us know.
Honoring a man's service and legacy should never become fodder for controversy.......
15 comments:
Well said. The joining of the designation and re-dedication is a great way to link all together.
That is a good compromise. Just wondering if either have a connection to bay or something water based.
Well said, Thanks for the courage to put in words what many do not want to be put on the spot or have to get into to argue a point. The people that try to strip Pensacola of history and stir up racism should be ashamed of themselves. How would it go over in the public to call to remove all names of Martin Luther King Drives and rename them Donald J Trump Avenue? Some of the same people arguing to strip the Beall family of the name also think the Confederate Monuments to General Lee should be removed and they already attempted to strip Pensacola of the Five Flags designation, not to mention the asinine Bay View Cross lawsuit. The person behind the stripping of the Beall name is a troublemaker and an embarrassment as well as any people calling for removal of designated historical monuments in and around Pensacola. Let that be known. Keep it Beall. No Compromise.
Although a compromise by the Beall family has been offered, if the legislature does nothing, the Beall name remains. I say do nothing. Move the sign, move on. Note who the troublemakers are. Stop trying to erase Pensacola's history. Pensacola Est 1559. Get over it. City of Five Flags
It seems the Beall grandson is reaching out to the one spearheading removing his family's name. He has asked Alan Gray to allow him a call in when he is hosting the radio show for Andrew McKay. I see you have a time slot on the show this week. I think Alan Gray should unblock him and stop cursing at him and meet him halfway at least. It's not a very good look for the group he heads calls Vision Pensacola. Is that their vision?
While I'm certain this issue may be important to the families of each man, I would bet collectively most yawn while thinking "Who cares?". The simple fact is nobody calls the bridge the Beall Bridge by its "name", we call it the 3 Mile Bridge. Just like no one calls the Sikes Bridge that - it's the Beach Bridge. And how about the unwieldy title "Admiral Fetterman Field at Maritime Park"? Even the Wahoos don't call it that on their website; the team calls it Blue Wahoos Stadium!
In the final analysis, it's not what some elected officials decide what the name of a building, bridge, or road is going to be, it's what we the public call it that's important.
You make some very interesting points, Mr. Bergosh. You mentioned the ECSD HQ building, which got me to thinking about the district's newest schools. They're not named for a person, but for the location. I wonder if that choice was made to avoid this kind of controversy.
Continuing in that vein, I wonder if the school board would consider naming the next new school after General James? I'm not sure that would appease the group that wants the bridge to bear his name; they might want both honors. The school would be the higher profile of the two options. School names get used a lot more than bridge designations, a point made by WRay.
Finally, the Phillip D. Beall Memorial Bridge has one span. the new bridge will have two. It makes sense that each span could have its own designation, which goes right along with the Beall family's suggestion to share the honor.
The group supporting the General James designation may not be completely happy having to share, but the general himself no doubt understood the value of teamwork and getting along.
Please clear up that, "If the legislature does nothing the Beall remains". Process matters. Note the person at the public forum left a campaign sign up from August, he has been told via publicly that is was there in November and also recently so BOLD DECISIVE ACTION expected.
Please mention this on your time slot on the radio show tomorrow in addition to your other plug. Citizens love your candor, honestly and willingness to speak truth. There is a huge push to change this. Why? For the black vote or what? It dishonors the Be all family for political gain. It is shameless. People see through this. Identity politics. Not fair.
Could they name the pedestrian path after Beall?
So should we repave streets and rename them..yeah that'll work out great.
When the new Bridge is dedicated, we should all wear snazzy hats like they did in 1960. Whatever happened to that tradition?
I concur with the Bailey family. Crappie can something aviation related at the appropriate time. The very idea
Of race need not be an issue in this.
McDaniel was an educator, not just black. Enough race batting. Racism
Is a excuse and a defense without merit in most cases. Cappie deserves
Respect and an honor but not to just put his name up. Make it meaningful and appropriate. Jeff, stop playing the political game and more importantly the race card.
Some one published a disgraceful hit peace on not one but two social media sites. At that time in Pensacola the Democrats were definitely using party laws and state laws in voter suppression.
The Democrats are still in the business of power plays with the black vote as their tool.
I doubt the PNJ or WEAR would stoop so low to take that one snippit of a headline to sway simple minded people.
Some one says voter suppression Wow.
Donk. Hit the buzzer--they lose.
People are so simple minded.
Dick's Blog and Sing around the Campfire strikes again. He is a real pox in Pensacola.
stir up the drama triangle
Progressive my foot.
Troll
Jeff did not play the race card. The person proposing the name change did by saying that the bridge should be named after “the nations first African American 4-Star general”
Stop being a troll.
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