Following is a letter to the editor from Davidson Mayor John Woods, who was on the committee that recommended naming the new high school on Bailey Road in Cornelius after educator W.A. Hough.
To the Editor,
All of us have had teachers and mentors in our development who have made substantial impacts on our lives. W.A. Hough was the principal at North Mecklenburg from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s. As a 1967 North graduate, I appreciated the opportunity to learn so much about life and self-improvement from Mr. Hough.
In addition to the manner in which he helped all students and parents handle the issues of racial integration in 1966, Mr. Hough was a selfless man whose care for ALL students was very obvious. He was everywhere, from driving activity buses to games, to mowing the grass on the practice fields, to the usual hall-roaming to get students to class on time! And it was clearly obvious that he loved his job. And he loved his students- all of them.
It has been my privilege to assist on the school naming committee for the new high school in Cornelius. During the discussions, I enjoyed the opportunity to speak about Mr. Hough and what he meant to several generations of North Mecklenburg families.
I wish for the existing students on the committee, who will have the opportunity to attend this wonderful new school, that in some forty-two years, they, too, will have the opportunity to recommend the naming of a new school to honor the memory of a teacher they loved and respected, who made such a powerful impact not only them but on all students.
Some have immediately mispronounced the Hough name and fear its misuse will injure future generations. I have a favorite saying: when the going gets rough (not “roe”) the tough (not “toe”) get going. I recall in my North Mecklenburg High days, a new school in Gastonia: Hunter Huss. You know, we had a momentary teenage giggle over that name—the Hussies!– and then got over it! The fact is, most any name can be made fun of in some way and we adults certainly do not need to support such efforts.
I do hope we can educate ourselves with the English language and help create the very best high school to serve our community.
John Woods
The writer is a Davidson native, a 1967 North Mecklenburg High School graduate, and the Mayor of Davidson.
RELATED COVERAGE
See all our coverage of W.A. Hough High School under the tag “Hough High.”
I agree. This is a civics lesson as well. To those who don’t want the new school named for Mr. Hough, I ask: Did you attend the meetings or send in your comments or name suggestions during the selection process? If you weren’t interested enough to let your opinions be known at the appropriate time, then you should not expect to come late and undo what has been done. Now that the name has been chosen and the Hough family has been told of the decision to honor their patriarch, how can we possibly offend them by retracting the decision? This would be especially unacceptable when based on a flimsy reason which boils down to “we’re afraid our school might get teased.”
Listing all the possible negative mispronunciations and associations of the name (none of which occurred to my kids or me before all the negative comments) serves no positive purpose. We should be proud of Mr. Hough’s legacy and of our new high school. Instead of looking for problems, let’s focus on choosing school colors, a great mascot (maybe a Big, Bad Wolf), and some slogans that rhyme with Hough (“We’re Tough, We’re Rough, We’re Hough.”).
AMEN!!!! And great suggestion for the slogan!