MetroWest Daily News
Sunday, March 11, 2007

Redmen not just a 'nickname'

I have only just learned of the months of debate and most recent vote by the Natick School Committee to ban the name "Redmen" from the Natick High School sports teams.

As a 1977 graduate of Natick High School, I must protest that vote. First, the vote was hardly unanimous: 4 to 3 is tough to take on something that changes the history of all of us who proudly cheered the Redman on to victories in all sports, girls and boys.

For the record, I did not even play any sports other than the beginnings of intramural girls' lacrosse, which was just gaining in popularity in those years.

It is not strictly about sports and the name Redman was not a "nickname" as one of your articles stated. It was the team name, like the Cleveland Indians or the Atlanta Braves or the Washington Redskins or Kansas City Chiefs.

If Major League Baseball and the National Football League can find their way to keep a name and not be offensive about it, why can't the small minds of the Natick School Committee get on to more important issues of the day rather than creating a problem where there was none?

I am extremely disappointed in the vote and in the logic (so-called) behind this unnecessary change. The Natick School Committee is to be criticized for this. Did anyone ask the students at Natick High what they thought? It should have been up to them to have a vote as well. I agree with Mr. Dight Crain on this one.

While I no longer live in Natick, I am in the area often enough and it was my home for 18 years. I grew up knowing that name and having pride in it. This School Committee does not have enough to do if it is now creating a "Task force" to come up with a name.

Natick has gone the way of the current mess in Washington: everyone's eyes are off the ball so they don't have to deal with real issues. This was a non-issue.

Congratulations to the great minds that made it one. Go Redmen!

ANNE L. SURMAN,
Exeter, N.H.