Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1967 Renaming College StationTHE BATTALION Page 2 College Station, Texas Thursday, July 27, 1967 CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle n R4 01s sac A� '01�tlbo� B B' NDn' C,� E42cE III "Everybody seems to have gotten their teeth into this na ch ange business!" 7 �l �O( THE PIC COLLEGE STATION IS STILL COLLEGE STATION The answer that has been on everyones mind for the past several days was given to the question "will College Station change it's name ". The answer was a resounding "NO" from Mayor Anderson of College Station. Mayor Anderson in speaking at Monday night's City Council meeting said "we had considered just letting the question die from old age, but then decided to bring it up at the council meeting and clear it up once and for all" the Mayor went on to say "I'm bringing it up now and there will be no further action taken ". According to sources on the scene at Monday night's council meeting, everyone seemed in favor of dropping the "HOT POTATO" that has been given statewide cover - age via T.S.N., several major newscasters, and news- papers on the local scene. Would A IN ew' Name NEW NAME NEEDED? What new name could this sign carry to express College Station's growth and progress? Mayor D. A. Anderson has proposed that a new name be investigated by a group of citizen. See Editorial, Page 2. Aid College Station? They say that a leopard can't change his spots, but is it possible for a town to change its name? In Mayor D. A. (Andy) Anderson's recent list of pro posed city improvements submitted to the College Station City Counci Where was a suggestion that the name of Col- lege Station be updated with a new, more modern title. The mayor suggested that a board of citizens be formed to suggest the name change and possibly suggest a new, dynamic symbol for the city. "We are no longer a college community," he said, "and we are not a station ." There can be little argument with the contention that the tag "College Station" is no longer current. The com- munity inherited the phrase back in 1877 when it was a stop on the old Houston & Texas Central Railroad. The coin a phrase, "the train don't stop here anymore." In fact, the old depot, so familiar to thousands of early -day Aggies, was torn down last year to make way for a new parking lot. The "College" portion of the name became obsolete more than three years ago when Texas A &M was elevated to "university" status by the State Legislature. When College Station was founded, it consisted of a mere handful of professors and other persons associated with that new land -grant institution known as The Agricul- tural and Mechanical College of Texas, which boasted a whopping 106 students. Today, the community has a population of nearly 19,000 residents and the university is expecting approxi- mately 12,000 students for the fall semester. University officials also predict an enrollment of some 20,000 by the time the institution celebrates its centennial in 1976. It is in this light of progress the contention is made that the community should consider a name change. If a descriptive term is to be applied, it should be truly-descrip- tive. The term "College Station" has time, history and tradition on its side, but does it reflect the current status and progressive outlook of either the community or the institution which largely accounts for its existence? Many of A &M's major facilities today — the cyclotron, Space Research Center, Nuclear Science Center, Data Processing Center, to name just a few — are beyond the wildest dreams of the imaginative people who founded the university and community. A name change is something, of course, which should not be done hastily. But if such a move is warranted, now is the time to begin consideration. It is a decision in which consideration should be given to the feelings of the resi- dents, university officials, students and former students. A change of name would, of course, involve legal techni- calities and possibly some other unforseen difficulties. But problems can be overcome — and they would be worth it if a name change would in fact serve to reflect and dramatize the progress which has been, is being and will continue to be made by the universitf and community. Other cities and numerous large companies, it should be noted, have changed their names with rewarding results. However, action on this and other proposals was de- layed until a future time, beat if and when the proposal is brought up again, we at THE BATTALION feel it would be worthwhile to submit a list of names suggested by citizens of this city to give the proposed committee somewhere to start. Of course, there would be many advantages and dis- advantages to a change in the name of College Station, ,but the final decision will be made you, the citizens of this city. What would be a good and appropriate name for this modern, growing community? THE BATTALION' requests that citizens submit their suggested name changes to us. We, in turn, will print the names in a future edition and then submit them to the mayor. All suggestions.may be mailed to: THE BATTALION; Room 4, YMCA Building, Texas A &M University, College Station, Texas.