There are two football fields that I have frequented over the years that are named for men, former coaches, who were my friends. Fr. William A. Hamill (Cascia Hall) and Angelo Prassa (Bishop Kelley).
I have become aware as time passes that acknowledgements change. In the beginning, the entire football complex at Cascia Hall was named for Fr. Hamill. Then, along came the construction of new home stands and it became Hamill Field at Seigfried Stadium.
We like to think some will never change. Perry Floyd Lattimore Stadium in Sallisaw seems to remain fixed for now. But remember the University of Oklahoma once played at Owen Field?
Many venues change names as naming rights are bought and sold. Maybe statues and monuments are different. Some honor individuals while others seek to preserve a point of view.
In 1903, The Daughters of the Confederacy erected a large number of memorials ostensibly to honor the Confederate war dead. These were as much to sustain a political and philosophical position as to honor individuals.
The University of Oklahoma is on a statue building binge, honoring past athletic successes. Initially, Heisman Trophy winners were so honored. This has recently been expanded to include successful coaches. Continued expansion? Does softball or women’s gymnastics have an award that can be compared to the Heisman? Who decides?
The 2024 Oscar winning film brought certain acknowledgements to mind. Albert Einstein is deservedly honored with a memorial on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences in Princeton, New Jersey. Robert Oppenheimer, who guided the creation of the atomic bomb so vital to bringing an end to World War II and arguably saving countless lives, has nothing.
If nothing else over recent years, I have learned that statues are not permanent. I mentioned those 1903 statues. They are mostly gone now. Destroyed. Dismantled.
A few still exist. The monument on the courthouse lawn in Fort Smith and a larger, more impressive monument on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin remain. I know there must be others.
What about the Washington Monument? Did George and Martha own slaves?
Patrick Henry, another of our founders in a paraphrase of Voltaire, said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Today, many will nod in approval concealing their disagreement. We are unwillingly to concede that others might have a valid viewpoint. Patrick Henry himself was a walking contradiction. He eloquently argued against slavery while he himself owned and sold slaves. Then again, perhaps we are all contradictions.
We sit mired in an “I’m right and you’re wrong” philosophy.” Mired. Stalled. Mucked. Stuck. It is difficult for a government that is based on respectful consensus to function in the midst of such dysfunction.
I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that we struggle to properly fund ourselves. Politics has always been so filled with contradictions it is a wonder we even know where we are.
And PS, I don’t believe not funding Social Security is a good idea.
Really, life is full of contradictions. Life is messy. – Tim Blake Nelson
