To say that the Richland High School Bomber mascot was based upon a practice bomb even before the Day's Pay event of July 23, 1944, and the dramatic ending of WWII in August 1945 because of the atomic bombs, goes against all historical facts.
The 1944-45 Columbia High School (later Richland High) student body had not the remotest idea of any practice bomb scenario. The school was changing its mascot from the Broncs to the Beavers in October 1944, during a most hurried time of war time construction and war time fervor.
The whole point of Keith Maupin's 2001 treatise was that the atomic bomb was the reason for the Bomber mascot -- not the B-17 airplane. His point was that the meaning of using a practice bomb as a mascot representation was because of the atomic bomb.
No one knew what "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" looked like, so some type of generic bomb was used to represent Columbia High's mascot from the 1945-46 school year (and following) after the atomic bombs were dropped.
As a member of Columbia High School Class of 1955, I appreciate that others also do not believe the B-17 myth. As Sgt. Joe Friday used to say: "Just the facts ma'am. Just the facts."
Lorin St. John, Pasco
