School name: Why not Woody instead of Woodrow?

“Proposed new name for Wilson High honors educator Silas,” (TNT, 2/1).

Tacoma parents and community leaders want to change the name of Woodrow Wilson High School. This, of course, because the “progressive” president was also a committed racist and a supporter of the Ku Klux Klan.

Some people want to retain the name without the racist connotations. How about Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie High School?

Guthrie was a great American folk singer who wrote his most memorable works while residing here in Washington.

During the Great Depression, he was hired by the Bonneville Power Administration to write inspirational and patriotic songs celebrating the Grand Coulee Dam. The effort generated “Roll on Columbia,” “Pastures of Plenty,” and America’s unacknowledged national anthem, “This Land Is Your Land.”

Woody Guthrie High School. It’s a thought.

This story was originally published February 6, 2021 at 11:42 AM with the headline "School name: Why not Woody instead of Woodrow?."