After reading the article in the September 21 WW-P News regarding the district’s proposed naming rights policy, I am troubled by the explicit prohibition against naming a facility after an individual who has committed suicide. Suicide should not be an automatic disqualifier for an otherwise deserving candidate.
Suicide is, however final, only one act in someone’s life. One act does not define a life. One act does not overshadow a lifetime of achievements and contributions to the community.
There has been much talk, deservedly so, of naming the High School North baseball field after David Bachner. This is not simply because he passed away, but because of the person he was and his numerous athletic achievements. No one would ever boil his life down to “someone who died as a result of a heart issue” and ignore the other 18 years.
By allowing a district facility to be named after a suicide victim who fulfills the other criteria, the issue of suicide can be confronted by remembering the value of their life. For 30 years, Brian “Maynard” Welsh was a teacher, coach, and friend to thousands of Pirates at High School South. He inspired a sense of school spirit and togetherness on “one big Pirate ship,” warned against heading down the “slippery slope” of falling standards, and was always available to talk.
In many other ways he shaped what it meant to go to South. He was a driving force behind the AP Play, Washington Seminar, and Mr. South competition and a spontaneous “guest lecturer” in classes from Spanish to science. In addition, he was a fixture at sporting events, either as a Hall of Fame soccer coach, fan, or in his PA role as the “Voice of the Pirates.” A school is not special because of the brick and mortar building but because of the people who fill the space, and nobody filled as much of South as Mr. Welsh.
His legacy was exemplified in the outpouring of emotion after his death, even from students he taught as many as 30 years ago. Two years later, those who loved him, as well as many who did not know him, continue to honor his memory without thinking about the manner of his death.
Given all that he contributed to South, it is shameful that the school district would not even consider naming something for him. For example, the turf field where he coached in 344 soccer victories and announced football games or the Mezzanine classroom that allowed his voice to cascade over the school. His suicide is far from the headline in the story of his life. What is more important to consider, three decades of contributions to the district or the cause of death?
Nick Loury
West Windsor, South 2008
