Updated with additional comments, Tuesday, Nov. 24. EDITOR’S NOTE: Following are additional letters and comments received on the school board decision to name the new Bailey Road high school after educator William A. Hough.

Committee member speaks

First and foremost I am a positive supporter of my child and her education and I will not be a part of this negativity. With a community this large there was no way everyone was going to be happy with whatever name was chosen, however I find it appalling that there would be this much time and effort put into trying to change it to something else. We, as parents, should be embracing this new school, regardless of the name, with a positive attitude. What kind of message is really being sent to our children?
This is a wonderful community and this high school will be whatever the students, teachers and parents make it to be – and the history of W.A. Hough High will move beyond just the name. With that being said I would like to clear up a few accusations regarding the naming process.

1. I volunteered to serve on the naming committee and therefore was not chosen to be on the committee for how they thought I would vote. Anyone who expressed interest could serve on the committee.
2. Several notices had run requesting naming suggestions and ALL names were accepted.
3. A total of 30 names with brief descriptions were submitted to the committee along with CMS guidelines for choosing a name.
4. There were approximately 20 people consisting of community representatives, business people, parents and students who will attend the new school and everyone was given the same voting power.
5. Prior to this meeting I was not aware of a single name on the list of recommendations and NO ONE forced me into voting a certain way.

The name has been voted on now it is time to start building a wonderful school beyond the bricks and mortar!

Angela Bost Fletcher

Outcry shows name was a good choice

To the Editor:
I am disappointed and concerned regarding the rationale of those contesting the name of the new William Amos Hough High School. It is unfortunate that we live in a time when our society is so insecure that it must take into consideration the potential threat of derogatory slander and name-calling as part of the process in naming a school.

When I first read about the name selection for the William Amos Hough High School, I did not associate his name with a slang derogatory term, nor did I ever consider that should be part of the vetting process for naming a school. However, I did want to know more about William Amos Hough and the contributions this individual made to the Davidson / Mecklenburg area that earned the honor bestowed upon him.

I learned that William Amos Hough was a principal in the Mecklenburg school district during one of the most volatile periods in our nation’s history. He was a common man who showed uncommon strength and conviction during the racial integration of the Mecklenburg school system. Regardless of whom you are or where you are from, you can not ignore that William Amos Hough must have been a man of great moral character who did not yield to the bigotry of those opposing equal rights for all. He must have been a man who was not afraid to stand up for what is righteous and fair. A man who believed in the greater good for all regardless of the pressures he faced from others. William Amos Hough was a man who was not afraid of, nor influenced by the vulgar name-calling or derogatory slang terms of those who opposed him.

The recent outcry to rename the new high school because of vulgar references regarding a mispronunciation of William Amos Hough’s name further defines and reinforces the decision that the school could not have a better name to represent it. It is very unfortunate that the fear of bullies and tormentors has influenced individuals within the community to question the naming of a school and in the same process slandered the name of a good man. Those that are so afraid of the ignorant, the vulgar and the defaming have a great deal to learn from a man who stood alone at the school entrance during the racially turbulent times of the1960s.

I am proud to send my children to a school named in honor of a man who rose to the challenge during the fight for equal rights. William Amos Hough’s influence was directed where it would do the most good, unifying the children of his time. We should follow his example by teaching this generation of children to stand up for what is right; not acquiesce to those who torment others with vulgarities and ignorance.

I continue to support the naming of the William Amos Hough High School and pray that the insecurities of others do not undermine a great man’s name and a great school’s beginning.

John M. Klein
Davidson

MORE COMMENTS

Below are additional comments received over the weekend, including some directed to the school board and copied to DavidsonNews.net. Please post your thoughts below or email them to editor@davidsonnews.net Please include your full name.

Judy Roach Ortega (Sent to naming committee member John Woods and copied to DavidsonNews.net): John, it has come to my attention via Facebook that a new school on Bailey Road is to be named for Mr. Hough. I also understand there is some controversy concerning the name. As a true local of this area I would like my voice to be heard. As you may know I attended North during the time of integration. Mr Hough was in integral part of our lives during this time. Without him it could have been very difficult. He was a calm in face of a possible storm. He assisted all us in this transition in our lives and this area’s history. He did not see us as rich, poor, black or white but students who needed an education to face the rest of our lives. He was our strength. He is interwoven into this area’s history as no other. To not name this school in his honor would be a disservice to this area. Please continue to stand by him. Please do not allow this school to be named something homogeneous. Mr Hough has deserved a school named for him for a long time. It is only right that the north end of the county give him this respect. Please give him this honor.

Judy Caldwell: I strongly support the name “W.A. Hough” for the new high school on Bailey Rd. and am greatly distressed to hear the nature of the opposition to this name. I attended North Mecklenburg from 1965-1968 and know first hand the greatness of the man for whom it should be named. Mr. Hough exemplified the person whom we should all strive to be and whom we should want our children and grandchildren to be. Mr. Hough made a difference in the lives of thousands of North Mecklenburg students and parents who loved him for his honesty, integrity, and tolerance in a time that could have been chaotic for all of us. If folks who are opposed to honoring this man would just take the time to learn his story and to find out what a great man he was, I think their opposition would cease. If these folks would spend more time explaining to their children the values this man exemplified and less time “feeding the fire” within these children (and themselves), they would certainly benefit more than they would if they win this battle. Regardless of how W.A. Hough’s is pronounced, he is someone we would all love our community to be identified with.

Barbara Beamer: This is a copy of an email I sent to CMS school board members: I am writing you to solicit your support in keeping the name of W. A. Hough High School for the new school in Cornelius. As a lifetime resident of the North Mecklenburg community and a student under Principal Hough’s leadership, I think it is only fitting that he should be honored with this recognition. I think the argument that the name could be made “fun of” could be said about any name chosen. If there was never a problem with anyone not knowing how to say his name for over the past 30 years, why is it such a problem now? Once the name is said in the sports report giving the high school scores, any confusion will be gone. I am very disappointed with board-elect member Ms. Lennon apparently being a part of this campaign who apparently does not know the history of this man in her own community as well as the few who have been vocal.
It appears there was no opposition during the name submission/selection process. Again, I urge you to support the naming of the new high school in Cornelius in honor of William A. Hough.

Amy Greene-James, (copy of an email sent to the CMS school board): Please DO NOT rethink Hough High. Mr. Hough was an outstanding man in the community and in the Church and I truly believe he deserves this honor. As far as the pronunciation of the name, is it not in line with the English language in that so many words are not pronounced as they are written? Even written correctly, there will always be someone that will “nickname” a school as they see fit. As an alumni of North Mecklenburg High School I can attest to the claim that we drove our tractors to school. The name Hough is strong, proud and true. Why should we let others determine what we name our schools because we are “afraid” of how they will pronounce or nickname it? Please DO NOT rethink this issue in order to change the name, but please DO rethink about leaving it as it is.

Junie Sparks-Davis: William Amos Hough was to all who knew him an honorable man and a dedicated principal and servant of the community. He was known to be a man of great moral character, as well as a devoted educator and a principal who was concerned about the welfare of every single student at North Mecklenburg High School for many years. I can’t think of anyone who is more deserving of this honor to his memory.

Gatewood Payne Campbell: To the school board: You got it right the first time. Do not re-think Hough High School. I value the time invested by the naming committee and I am in complete agreement with their choice and the school board’s vote. My mother was a student at North Mecklenburg High when Mr. Hough was the principal and I attended North Mecklenburg when Mr. Hunt was principal. My son is the third generation in my family to attend schools in this end of the county and he will proudly attend W.A. Hough High School. I am a member of the Bailey Middle School PTA and Ms. Wirostek does NOT represent my opinion. Your time is valuable and should be spent on far more important issues than this. I encourage all opponents of the school name to invest their time in pronouncing the name correctly the first time and this discussion will cease to exist. I am proud to have been raised in an area that values the morals, character and standards set by Mr. Hough and his legacy will live on.

Annie Will, Huntersville: Please know I DO NOT support renaming the new High School in Cornelius. As a resident of Huntersville from the age of 12 (I am now 45 years old), I appreciate the honor it would be to name the school after an influential person in our area’s history. Although Mr. Hough was not my principal at North Mecklenburg High School (Mr. Hunt was), he was my neighbor. I definitely feel he deserves the honor of having a high school named after him. I feel it would be completely disrespectful to the process and to the Hough family to consider renaming the High School. The process was open to citizens to voice their opinions. If certain people are not happy with the results; that is unfortunate. I, and many other citizens feel that our area’s history is being ignored and disrespected by the reaction to the naming of the school. I am also incredibly hurt and offended on behalf of the Hough family for the reasons offered as to why the school should not be named Hough High School. To in essence make fun of a person’s name and give that as your sole reason in not naming a school after a respected man is juvenile, insulting and quite frankly, ignorant and embarrassing.

I’m embarrassed that the organizers of this campaign are (a) unable to read and pronounce the name correctly, and (b) manufacturing possible “insults” as their reason to circumvent an entire process in order to change the name. What lesson does this teach our children? That if we don’t get what we want we can malign, insult and stomp our feet until we get our way? To say this reflects poorly on these people is an understatement.

As others have said, if only they knew Mr. Hough, they would not be protesting the name. I may add that they would be and should be honored to send their child to a school named after such a decent and respected gentleman. But since these people are obviously new to the area, perhaps they can show respect for our history and our people and cease this ridiculous campaign.

Harriet McKenzie, Huntersville (Sent to school board members and some north Mecklenburg leaders, copied to DavidsonNews.net): Friends, W. A. Hough is already the name of the school.
Therefore, the school will forever be associated with how our leaders handle the current chatter. If Mr. Hough’s name is taken away now, the school itself will become a reminder that our leaders take silliness too seriously and serious things too lightly. Are we so afraid of trivial teasing about names that we would teach Mecklenburg children to be afraid of it too, or do we truly believe in the higher standards our educators attempt to instill in those children every day? Many of them have names that might invoke teasing, too. What message will we send them? Esse Quam Videri, leaders.

Jennifer Hall, Concord (sent to school board members and copied to DavidsonNews.net): I am a North Meck native and a graduate of North Mecklenburg High School. My mother is also a graduate of North and attended there during the time that Mr. Hough was principal. When I read the name in the paper, it never occured to me to pronounce it any way EXCEPT “Huff” as in “rough”. I couldn’t even figure out how it could be pronounced or implied as anything else until someone else pointed it out to me.

I think given the man’s contribution to the school and the community during the early integration years, it is right and fitting to name the school for him. Those of you who aren’t from here should spend some time getting to know the history of your community so you can be an example and “teach” others about the community. You need to learn the names and the families who have given their names to the surrounding community. They appear on street signs and buildings all over Davidson and Cornelius. Those of you who can’t pronounce Hough correctly probably don’t know how to correctly pronounce Beaty or Jetton or Iredell either. I actually knew some of the Beatys and the Jettons and many other families who have made North Meck what it is today. Their relatives and others like them are still here and still contributing to our community.

Some of you would do well to learn a little more about the history of your chosen community so you can be proud and show others what a great place with such rich history North Mecklenburg is. Those of us who were raised here are very proud of our past and many would love to tell you how it was before all of the growth around the lake began.

If you are afraid of people poking fun you then you are just sad. You need to stand tall and proud and correct them and educate them so they will know what a proud name Hough is to those who really know. If you don’t make and issue of it, they won’t either. If you create a school with a solid reputation for good people and good education then the name will take on those qualities and become synonymous with those qualities. North Meck was once considered one of the best schools in the system because of the people who made it that way. Remember, your school is what you make it. You can choose whether that will be a positive or negative outcome, no matter what the name on the building says.

Patsy Troutman, Colfax, N.C.: The CMS Board of Education made the right choice in naming it newest most-northern high school the W. A. Hough High School. This honors a man who was a gifted administrator, a strong disciplinarian, and charismatic gentleman. He thoroughly enjoyed his work with students and staff, even one time playing the “bride” in a womanless wedding production that fueled a scholarship fund. Mr. Hough had a tremendous impact on my life and career as I taught at North Mecklenburg HS 8 years (1956-1964). We were all striving for excellence, and Mr. Hough was our leader! So, kudos to the school board for a decision well made. My two grandchildren will probably be assigned to Hough High, so I will follow the progress of the school, hoping that it comes up to W.A.Hough’s standards.

Glenda Karen Elliott, Tucker, Ga., North Mecklenburg High School class of 1975: (Sent to Rhonda Lennon, copied to DavidsonNews.net:) Dear Ms. Lennon: I was thrilled to hear that the new high school in North Mecklenburg would be named after my old principal, Mr. Hough. William A. Hough is not just a name for those that grew up in that part of the county.  He was a man we leaned on and looked up to. Beloved.

Children are sometimes superficial and silly but adults are supposed to look at the substance of things.  The superficial and silly objections to the name “Hough” should be ignored in favor of the substance of the man, W.A. Hough.

I read that you plan to start the whole naming process again – a big “do-over” with new rules. That’s a bad example for the children of CMS.  If
the game doesn’t go your way, stamp your foot and fuss and some soft touch might wimp out and fix the game for you. Great.  Seems that it starts your school board career off with the message that you cave. Fast. Even when the argument is shrill and silly. You can look forward to being the first stop for every complaint in Mecklenburg County. When the things get rough (sounds like “ruff”) public servants need to get tough (sounds like “tuff”).

For every decision, there’s going to be someone that says it was wrong or that there was a better alternative. This is a life truth that when once grasped, frees you to just do the right thing.  It is the right thing to honor an honorable educator that nurtured the children of North Mecklenburg for 20 years.

Ed Humphries, Huntersville: The citizen’s committee that selected the name for the new Bailey Road high school chose a person who was a role model to countless adults and children in the North Mecklenburg area.  Mr. Hough was committed to excellence in education and bettering the community in which he lived and served.  He was totally involved in numerous civic and church organizations in the North Mecklenburg area; his accomplishments are not rivaled by many educators. I was privileged to know Mr. Hough as a principal, neighbor and friend for approximately 40 years.  Those of us who knew Bill Hough understand that he truly deserves this honor.

Beth Gardner Helfrich, Davidson, North Mecklenburg High School Class of 1999: To members of the School Board and naming committee, and especially Rhonda Lennon:

We elected you to facilitate and support education at our public schools, not to appease over-protective parents who are upset about a name. Ms. Lennon, if you proceed with your plan to make a motion at the first board meeting, you will do nothing to end divisiveness in District 1. You will, however, lose my vote.

As a teacher, I can assure you that this petty argument wouldn’t stand a chance in my classroom; clearly, the integrity and legacy of a man carries far more weight than a juvenile play on words. In this “teachable moment,” you have the opportunity – no, the responsibility – to redirect the conversation. Celebrate Mr. Hough and his legacy by embracing his name and teaching our children to wear it with pride.