Proposed names for new EPISD schools (El Paso, Fort Bliss: home, elementary school, military)

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by LEVOW

4 words Don Haskins High Bears or Miners!

Yeah, I'd like Don Haskins better as a high school or middle school, personally.

Marguerite Lundy was a school administrator for El Paso ISD whose last assignment was principal at Putnam Elementary. It doesn't look like EPISD normally names schools after principals; Bond Elementary is an exception. When Mitzi Bond, principal of Lindbergh Elementary, died in a car crash several years ago, they renamed the school after her pretty quick. Charles Lindbergh qualifies as a builder of El Paso since he persuaded the city to build an airport around 1930, but he never lived in El Paso, and only came through there once or twice. Given this kind of tenuous connection with El Paso, and the fact that his aviation accomplishments occurred almost a century ago, and his association with the Nazis, and the revelation a few years ago that he'd sired a string of out-of-wedlock children with two women in Germany with whom he'd had adulterous relationships, I doubt his name will go on another El Paso school any time in the foreseeable future.

In El Paso ISD, it seems you usually have to be a trustee, superintendent (like H.E. Charles or J.M. Whitaker), or assistant superintendent (like Harry "Hut" Brown) to get a school named after you, and the job of superintendent has become so thankless in the past 30 years that superintendents hardly get schools named after them anymore.

[atrabilius]

When I went back to my parents' house for Christmas, I happened to take a look at my diploma from Andress High (Class of 1981), and it had on it the signatures of the principal of Andress at the time (Harry "Hut" Brown, namesake of Brown Middle School), the El Paso ISD superintendent at the time (Ronald McLeod), the president of the EPISD board of trustees at the time (Harold Wiggs, namesake of Wiggs Middle School)...and the secretary of the EPISD board of trustees at the time: Javier Montez. Whose name is on the list of proposed school names I posted above.

I wonder if he's still alive.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by atrabilius

When I went back to my parents' house for Christmas, I happened to take a look at my diploma from Andress High (Class of 1981), and it had on it the signatures of the principal of Andress at the time (Harry "Hut" Brown, namesake of Brown Middle School), the El Paso ISD superintendent at the time (Ronald McLeod), the president of the EPISD board of trustees at the time (Harold Wiggs, namesake of Wiggs Middle School)...and the secretary of the EPISD board of trustees at the time: Javier Montez. Whose name is on the list of proposed school names I posted above.

I wonder if he's still alive.

Maybe not. From the Social Security Death Index:

JAVIER MONTEZ [born] 05 Dec 1929 [died] 06 Dec 2003 (P) [last known zip code and place of residence] 79904 (El Paso, El Paso, TX)


I haven't heard of any scandals involving him.

[atrabilius]

From today's El Paso Times:http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_11447994

"New schools in [El Paso ISD] were unanimously named after William C. Herrera, Colin L. Powell, Marguerite J. Lundy and Tom Lea Jr."

I don't know which campuses got which names yet, but I guess Powell Elementary isn't the one on Fort Bliss, as Colin Powell is still alive. I think namesakes of schools, streets and so forth on Army bases have to be dead.

Tom Lea Elementary: I wonder if the El Paso ISD school board intends to rename Lee Elementary in Northeast; it's named for a Confederate general (Robert E. Lee).

[jhees85]

We did just have our first black elected president in this country. maybe Barack Obama would be a good name, maybe one of the 1st too.

[mikeshole]

Try Not To Get Pregnant Academy

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by jhees85

We did just have our first black elected president in this country. maybe Barack Obama would be a good name, maybe one of the 1st too.

Sure, that would be a good name for Lee Elementary (IMO).

Maybe they're saving Don Haskins' name for a middle school or high school.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by jhees85

We did just have our first black elected president in this country. maybe Barack Obama would be a good name, maybe one of the 1st too.

Although i do wish the Pres Elect well as our country is in the ''tank'' i am against naming a school after him at this point as that usually happens when elected officials leave office.

I really do support naming a high school ''Don Haskins High school Miners'' as he was an El Paso icon for 40 plus years as our coach here at UTEP and being the only school in Texas to win an NCAA Mens Basketball National Championship in 1966 against Kentucky.

Heck i may even root for them over my Alma Matter Andress Eagles ........then again .

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

I really do support naming a high school ''Don Haskins High school Miners'' as he was an El Paso icon for 40 plus years as our coach here at UTEP and being the only school in Texas to win an NCAA Mens Basketball National Championship in 1966 against Kentucky.

Maybe they can name the new high school in Far Northeast Haskins High; I think Nolan Richardson used to be an assistant coach for Don Haskins and Richardson Middle would probably be in the new high school's feeder pattern.

Unless Javier Montez and Paul Carlton did something I don't know about, these names might be good choices for future schools.

It looks like war-related stuff doesn't really fire the EPISD trustees' enthusiasm these days (understandably): Colin Powell retired a long time ago and seems to be known more for his stateside work (military and civilian) than anything he did on the battlefield. The Bolanos brothers (famous Vietnam vets) didn't get a school named after them, and nobody even nominated Lori Piestewa or Medal of Honor winners with El Paso connections like Joseph Rodriguez or Paul Ray Smith.

Although i do wish the Pres Elect well as our country is in the ''tank'' i am against naming a school after him at this point as that usually happens when elected officials leave office.

Yeah, I don't know if anybody will ever name a school after George W. Bush, or Richard Nixon. John D. "Danny" Olivas would have been a good choice for a school before Lisa "Diapers" Nowak came along. If Barack Obama leaves office with at least a reasonably good track record, that would definitely strengthen the case for a Barack Obama Elementary.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by atrabilius

Maybe they can name the new high school in Far Northeast Haskins High; I think Nolan Richardson used to be an assistant coach for Don Haskins and Richardson Middle would probably be in the new high school's feeder pattern.

Unless Javier Montez and Paul Carlton did something I don't know about, these names might be good choices for future schools.

It looks like war-related stuff doesn't really fire the EPISD trustees' enthusiasm these days (understandably): Colin Powell retired a long time ago and seems to be known more for his stateside work (military and civilian) than anything he did on the battlefield. The Bolanos brothers (famous Vietnam vets) didn't get a school named after them, and nobody even nominated Lori Piestewa or Medal of Honor winners with El Paso connections like Joseph Rodriguez or Paul Ray Smith.



Yeah, I don't know if anybody will ever name a school after George W. Bush, or Richard Nixon. John D. "Danny" Olivas would have been a good choice for a school before Lisa "Diapers" Nowak came along. If Barack Obama leaves office with at least a reasonably good track record, that would definitely strengthen the case for a Barack Obama Elementary.

What's kinda odd is that i'd prefer whenever a new west side high school is built to be named after him as UTEP is considered west side as it seems more natural over there although the new HS in far Northeast would be fine also.

I'm sure there are many good El Pasoans over the years who deserve having their name on a school also.