School name: Another Wilson would be good choice

Re: “Tacoma high school needs non-racist name; try this,” (TNT, 12/20).

I was dismayed after reading your supercilious editorial concerning changing Wilson High School's name because of the “racist “ views of Woodrow Wilson.

You seem to say it is already a done deal even though there is a process involved and hopefully the community will have input

The Wilson name should be kept and I have a suggestion. At first I thought of James Wilson, one of the first US Supreme Court justices and an immigrant to this country. Unfortunately, he seems to have had an enslaved person working in his household.

Next, I thought of Edith Wilson, Woodrow’s wife. Many historians consider her our first female president because she essentially ran the country after her husband suffered a severe stroke and she concealed his condition. Unfortunately, she was white, so that rules her out.

Finally, I thought of the ideal person – Flip Wilson! An African-American and brilliant comedian, he was a self-made man who was abandoned at a young age, served our country and wasn’t afraid to bend gender rules of the day by way of one of his favorite characters: the irrepressible “Geraldine.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 4:50 PM with the headline "School name: Another Wilson would be good choice."