The brouhaha involves naming things after a certain individual. By the way, in nearly twenty years of blogging, it's the first time I've used the word "brouhaha" here. I'm not taking a stand on the issue of "naming."
Here is one of my experiences with recognition, and it goes back several years.
I was in a news truck, on the way to a story, when the assignment desk forwarded a call to my cell phone. A young lady identified has self as a student from my old high school. She was writing for the school newspaper. I was named as one of the school's top ten graduates and she wanted to ask me some questions.
The kid was so nervous, giggly and unfocused, I thought it was a prank and hung up. There was no effort to contact me again. I never discovered if she was legit or someone out to have fun at my expense.
The "top ten graduates" concept nauseates me, anyway.
Many of classmates went in to the military. That is more difficult and more important than anything I ever had to do.
Many of my classmates raised children. That is more difficult and more important than anything I ever had to do.
I got lucky. I knew what I wanted to do from an early age and worked hard to achieve some success. There were plenty of sacrifices along the way. No regrets. I think I'm pretty good at what I do, and proof of that is 40+ years in the business.
What I'm trying to say is think twice before you elevate someone to a pedestal, even if it is a student newspaper. There are plenty of heroes out there. They are closer than you think.
