My strongest recommendation is that you contact whatever heirs you can find
and get their blessing for a name change before taking any action. Here is
a tale from Wikipedia that I can attest to being true - as the original
family in question were close friends of ours:
" Northwestern's decision to rename Dyche Stadium to Ryan Field defied the
university's own 1926 resolution that forbade such a change. School
officials said that a private institution can override previous boards'
decisions, and dismissed the earlier resolution as a "show of
appreciation." But NU did not explain why a mere gesture of appreciation
would expressly state that any football stadium at any location would
retain the name Dyche, as indeed the 1926 resolution does. The Dyche family
wasn't notified of the change; NU claimed that the only descendant they
found was a grandniece, despite other family members living in Chicago and
being listed in the phone book. After the family protested, NU said it was
willing to install an informational plaque at the stadium, noting its
former name."
John H. Taylor
Principal, John H. Taylor Consulting
2604 Sevier St.
Durham, NC 27705
johntaylorconsulting@gmail.com
919.816.5903 (cell/text)
Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987
On Tue, Jul 9, 2019 at 12:31 PM Hazlett, Jessica <
jdh@episcopalhighschool.org> wrote:
> Hello!
>
> Our institution is in the early phase of a capital campaign and we are
> reviewing our naming opportunities. We are going to be moving our track and
> field to a different part of campus. The track and field are named and we
> are trying to determine if we should use the current name in the new
> location or not use the name and have the track and field as a naming
> option in the new location. The track and field were named in the early
> 1900s and there is no gift agreement that outlines what our procedure was
> at the time of naming. Have any of you encountered anything similar to at
> any institution and if so how was it handled?
>
> Many thanks in advance for any insights you can offer!
>
> --
> Jessica D. Hazlett
> Research and Database Manager
> Episcopal High School
> 1200 North Quaker Lane Alexandria, Virginia 22302
> 703-933-4196
>
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