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Should Richland High School change its mascot from a mushroom cloud?
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We never run out of issues to disagree on from gay rights, to war, to the economic crisis but back in the 1980s, then-Publisher Kelso Gillenwater learned a lot about generating controversy.
The Cold War was still being waged, and Hanford workers were cranking out weapons-grade plutonium to fuel the arms race when Gillenwater wrote a column calling for the Richland High School Bombers to find a new mascot.
He argued the mushroom cloud logo was hurting economic development by perpetuating glow-in-the dark stereotypes about the Tri-Cities and its inhabitants.
Gillenwater wanted adults to push the idea, since in his estimation no one is more enamored with tradition than the average high school student.
Perhaps, but more likely Gillenwarter had forgotten the old adage, We never really leave high school. If anything, former bombers are more ferciously loyal to the cloud than their younger counterparts.
The issue crops up from time to time and probably always will, but Im pretty sure Gillenwaters column was the last time the Herald weighed in on the topic.
If youve been following the letters to the editor, online or in our print edition, then you know people dont need us to have this debate.
Doug Mowrys March 16 letter got the ball rolling. The online version has 47 responses so far. Letters posted on tricityherald.com typically generate a lot of conversation, but Mowry clearly hit a nerve.
More letters to the editor are still coming in, each sparking another set of online comments.
Join the conversation, or if that seems too much, take our poll.
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We're the Bombers
We're the Bombers
As a member of the Columbia High School class of 1959, I was dismayed to read Ian Ireland's letter on Dec. 30, as it demonstrated how effective Richland High School's systematic falsification of history has been. Let's get this straight once and for all. The "Day's Pay" fundraising was a Hanford construction trade unions' project to honor D-Day in 1944.
Col. Franklin Matthias acknowledged that the government supported the drive as a morale booster to help counteract the high turnover of construction workers. The drive was, indeed, opened to the operations employees in Richland but I cannot find any indication that any more than a small percentage of the donors actually ever lived in Richland, let alone have any contact with Columbia High (later named Richland High).
The Bombers name was adopted by the Col-Hi students at a pep assembly on Oct. 12, 1945, according to my research, and was named for the Atomic Bomb as prominently acknowledged by the 1945-46 Columbian Yearbook. The "R-cloud" originated in the
It's the bomb
It's the bomb
I cannot believe that a senior at Richland High thinks the Day's Pay bomber is the school's mascot! (Letters, Dec. 30).
When I attended Richland High (then called Columbia High) from 1960-63, the mascot was (and still is) a replica of a bomb. It was placed on the field or court at every pep assembly and game that I attended.
It was chosen as a symbol of the work our parents and grandparents did at Hanford to produce the plutonium that was used to make the bombs that ended World War II.
Bomber history
Bomber history
Lorin St. John's letter (Jan. 13) was, in most respects, true.
This ongoing fight over the origins of the Richland High School mascot has flamed up every year or so for at least 15 years. It's been extensively researched and documented as to the true origin of the mascot. It was not based upon a bomber airplane, and it was not based upon the atomic bomb.
Its origin was from a "dummy" practice bomb found out on the old practice bombing range where Bombing Range Road in West Richland is now. Some students found it, brought it home, painted it school colors and brought it to basketball games. This occurred before the "Day's Pay" was conceived, and before the atomic bomb.
Timing wrong for Reach
Timing wrong for Reach
Some contributors to the Herald's letters column and online forum can't understand why folks don't support the Reach Interpretive Center. Here's why I don't. Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget proposal includes the elimination of programs that provide medical services to 55,000 people, cutting subsidies for child care for 4,000 working families, shortening the school year by four days, again affecting students and staff who are already taking major hits, and more cuts to higher education. (Try cutting fat in Olympia first but that's another letter). And we need a $40 million museum? I know the arguments. These are different piles of money or the museum will be partly built by donations. What if the project is not fully self-supporting? I don't trust our government to not bail this out with tax dollars. In our current situation maybe the folks donating to the Reach should consider putting up the money to help health care, child care and our school systems instead of a museum. In prosperous times, yes, but not right
Many ways to serve
Many ways to serve
Regarding Logan Ecclestone's letter on Sept. 20, the senior in high school who is looking forward to serving his country. First, thank you, Logan, for taking the time to write a thoughtful letter to the paper. In a most important way, you're already "serving your country" by participating in the dialogue in the democracy.
Your desire to join the Marines and serve in combat is all too understandable, but to me your vision needs to expand and take in more of the world than what can be seen through a gun sight. In fact, that's what you're supposed to be doing at this stage of your life, expanding your knowledge and experience, and learning how the world works. There are countless possibilities after high school for you to serve your country, and even serve people no matter where they live.
Your views seemed a bit selfish when I first read your letter, worrying that the war might end before you got a chance to participate. But you're a young man and it sounded like your heart was in the right place. I just
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