Should a building be named for someone who’s still alive? Depends on whom you ask

The practice of naming Macon-Bibb County’s streets and public facilities after people who are still living is generating starkly differing opinions from officials past and present.

In recent years, officials have named at least 10 parks or recreation centers, streets or other facilities after politicians, pastors and other community leaders — some living and some who were not. But in order to do that if a person is still alive, Macon-Bibb officials have to make an exception to a policy that says a park, facility, street or other public space should only be named after someone who is deceased.

The Macon-Bibb County policy says the County Commission can make exceptions “when warranted by exceptional circumstances.”

For some current and former leaders, there’s some uneasiness about being asked to name a facility after someone who is still alive. Others say its OK to honor someone’s legacy while he or she is still able to enjoy the recognition.

While serving as Bibb County Commission chairman, Charlie Bishop said he felt some hesitation about renaming a sports complex in 2008 after his friend and then-Macon City Councilman Ed DeFore. That’s the only time he remembers during his time on the commission, from 2005-2008, that a facility or park was named after a living person.

Bishop said he’s not singling out anyone who’s had a public facility named after them, but he personally feels it shouldn’t happen while they are living.

“I think there are other ways to honor people for what they’ve contributed to politics without naming something after them,” said Bishop, who’s also a former deputy police chief for Macon.

He said that in his opinion, a more appropriate name for a fire station would be to honor a firefighter who has died in the line of duty.

“I just have a strong feeling about it because I’ve had a lot of friends who’ve given their lives to serve the city, county and state,” Bishop said. “Some worked there for 35 years and did outstanding jobs and dedicated their adult life to serving the public, and then you could have a politician that serves part time for a while and their name is all over the place.”

Just before the consolidation of Macon and Bibb County in 2014, the Bibb County Commission voted to name three fire stations after commissioners Bert Bivins, Joe Allen and Elmo Richardson.

This past December, North Macon Park was renamed after former City Councilman Theron Ussery, who continues to serve on a special sales tax advisory committee. And another east Bibb fire station is being named in honor of former Bibb County Commissioner Lonzy Edwards, who died last year.

Earlier this month, a groundbreaking was held for the start of construction to rebuild the Sam Hart Community Center in the Kings Park neighborhood. Hart is a former Bibb County Commission chairman and now serves as chairman of the Macon Water Authority.

There have also been sections of streets designated for pastors, both living and deceased, for their efforts in their communities, including this April for the Rev. Richard Gammage, a former community activist and longtime New Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church pastor.

Allen said he appreciated the gesture that officials made to name a fire station after him, although he said it would have been nice to see it named after a firefighter who died on the job.

During his previous tenures in local government, Allen supported proposals to name government facilities after people who played important roles in the community, whether they were still living or had passed away.

“I’m a firm believer to give people credit while they’re alive,” he said. “Why do you want to only (honor) them when they die? That’s wrong. The family gets something out of it, the person you really want do so something for gets something out of it. Let that person get some good feelings out of it themselves”

In the coming days Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Elaine Lucas could join a long list of politicians and others to have a facility named after them. Commissioners could vote July 5 on a resolution to name a new senior citizens center after Lucas, who has spent about 30 years in local government.

Commissioner Larry Schlesinger pushed for the center to bear Lucas’ name because she’s been instrumental in getting the project built as quickly as possible after setbacks.

The idea of naming a place only after someone who has died may be “passe,” he said, and there’s only a slim chance that naming it after a living person could backfire because of some controversy.

“I think in these cases that’s very unlikely to occur, but I also think that it’s important to honor people in their lifetimes and show that kind of appreciation rather to wait until after they pass,” Schlesinger said.

Former Macon City Councilman Rodney Smith, who served more than 20 years on the council, said he always favored naming facilities and buildings after a person was no longer living.

“That was a way of honoring and and remembering them over the years after they were gone,” he said. “However, it’s up to the individual administration to decide how they want to do it. Back in the day we felt like it would be more of a tribute to those deceased.”

Policy guidelines

Lucas said she’s proud to have been a part of a process that has named government spaces after people who deserve it.

She helped craft the current naming policy to create guidelines to follow when requests are made. In some cases community groups and residents approach the County Commission about honoring a person by naming a public space after them.

The policy says that naming or renaming can happen for people “who have excelled in the arts, sciences, music, or athletics, or have made significant contributions to the local community.”

“It’s a way of recognizing people we feel are worthy of being remembered into the future,” Lucas said. “It’s been my privilege to vote to name streets, recreation centers, governmental buildings, bridges.”

She added, “That is part of what governments do. All over the country, all over the state, you have things named in honor of people. You always have a choice of doing it or not.”

Commissioner Gary Bechtel said public officials can be put in a difficult position when they’re voting on naming something after a colleague.

Bechtel also served on the Bibb County Commission when the fire stations were named after Richardson, Allen and Bivins.

“We don’t want to do anything that diminishes the recognition that is deserved by our fellow commissioners, ... but we need to adhere to the policy,” Bechtel said. “We have to demonstrate some self-discipline.”

From Little Richard to Gregg Allman

Officials must outline their reasons for naming or renaming a government place after a person. Some examples include:

▪  DeFore advocated for youth sports and recreation during his four decades in local government;

▪  Allen is a retired firefighter and founder of the Kids Yule Love charity;

▪  Bivins is also a political veteran who was also the first student to integrate the Bibb County public schools.

And Macon’s rich musical history has led to some of its most well-known artists, such as Duane Allman and Otis Redding, having either a statue erected or part of a street named in their honor after their deaths.

A street that runs near the Mercer University campus — Little Richard Penniman Boulevard — is named after the music pioneer, who lives in Tennessee.

Recently, a Macon resident asked the County Commission to consider naming something after the late Gregg Allman.

The exception in the naming policy means that officials aren’t breaking the policy as long as that living person is able to meet certain standards, Lucas said.

“You can’t have a cookie-cutter effect where everything fits one mold,” she said. “We have an exception, and you have to show why that exception is made in every instance.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Should a building be named for someone who’s still alive? Depends on whom you ask."