HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 10 Correspondence from Roxie Metzler, Springfield Regarding the Naming of the Justice Center
Evening of May 19, 2008
Dear Councillors and Mayor Leiken;
I was in attendance tonight when the naming of the Justice Center was discussed. I feel guilty
because I did not write this letter earlier, but it probably wouldn't have made any difference. To
me, this seemed a shoo-in, but that's where assumptions lead. My apologies for weighing in
after the fact, but a few things must be said.
I won't reiterate the list of Ed's achievements and accomplishments, as that has surely been done
and then some. But it pains me to think that it is the very 'concept of the citizens of Springfield
and their ownership that would prevent him from being so honored. Because I am convinced
that it is because of Ed and his contemporaries that Springfield is what it is: pragmatic,
common-sense, businesslike, and open to change. Contrast that to "other places," and ask
yourself: what, and who, made the difference?
Ed (and his compatriots of his generation) were remarkable in the extreme. Ed and many others
of his time arose from, and then went on to triumph over, the humblest of origins. Men like Ed,
and my own father, spent parts of their childhood working and contributing to the well-being of
their own families during the Depression; then they educated themselves, went all over the world
to save it by fighting during WWII, and then came home (those who survived) to build their own
lives, families, and towns in the image of their ideals. While his generation may have suffered
certain deprivations during the Depression and their early lives, their upbringings were rich with
experience and self-reliance. And they had seen elsewhere what they did not want to happen
here.
One of the hallmarks of their conduct was service to their community, and Ed exemplified that
quality. His record of service to Springfield will never be equaled; I can only wonder, if a
building cannot be named after Ed Harms, then who could.ever measure up? Christine is right;
we have schools, parks, and other structures named for people who come nowhere near Ed's
stature. And as for the argument that people don't know who he is, how else does history
become transmitted if not through recognition and education? I also think that some of the
people who object would not do so if something were being named after them.
Ed would be chuckling over all the fuss, I'm sure. But I sure wish I could hear his arguments for
and/or against. No doubt they would be comprehensive, tough, fair, and utterly thorough. They
would certainly include points that had occurred to no one else. Such a towering intellect is only
encountered rarely.
More importantly, I believe the relationship with its citizens enjoyed by the City of Springfield is
partly Ed's legacy. He and many of his peers tended that relationship and gave Springfield
citizens the gift of faith and trust in its iQ~titutions. That is even more rare. I would even venture
to say without that history, we wouldn't have a record of passing school budgets, bonds, and,
yes, the Justice Center.
So it is ironic to me that the concept of civic pride should be used against the idea of honoring
Ed, for it is the very quality that he and others modeled, cultivated, and encouraged. Thank you
for listening; regardless of the outcome, I strongly believe we should remember and be grateful.
Respectfully, ~ r---I ~~"
Roxie A. Metzler ~}~ ~.;: I I
Interested citizen and member of Springfie istoric Commission