Will town of Corydon change its name?
By Chad Phillips
MTW contributing writer
I know what I'm about to write isn't PC in a town this size, particularly when it involves expressing my lack of enthusiasm for something which will bear the name of a family of movers and shakers. I'm sure, given my Heritage and the "institution" I'm critiquing, some will view my opinion as unAmerican, mean spirited, etc. But I press onward.
Recently, it was announced in the local paper (owned by the O'Bannons) that the Community Foundation is making an initial gift of $50,000 to help fund the O'Bannon Memorial. They are also, matching up to $75,000 from additional donors to the memorial fund. If that weren't generous enough, the Foundation will match up to $25,000 per household, which will go into a special endowment designed to fund the maintenance of the memorial. All told, the memorial is expected to come with a price tag of about $200,000. Some would say that's money well spent.
Anyway, this front page story had a couple of nice little quotes from Judy O'Bannon which encapsulate what this memorial is supposed to represent: "I think this is a wonderful … a symbol of something bigger." It's meant to "convey to others that everyone 'comes with something to offer.'"
A few weeks later, in her column in the same paper, the former First Lady continued to elaborate on how the memorial is not really about the O'Bannons as much as it is about each and every citizen of this county and what they can accomplish. It's about our lives, our hopes, and our dreams. In Judy O'Bannon's words, "This memorial will commemorate all people and their potential for leadership in their own communities. It will use as an example, one man from one family and one specific town." Hey, I can appreciate that; I can even resonate with the sentiment.
But unless this message of what the O'Bannon Memorial means is explicit in the memorial itself how will people get it? Will someone be on call to explain to passersby (tourists) who don't know any better that this memorial isn't about the O'Bannons, but is really about all that we are as a community and what we can accomplish? Will there be a placard with an engraved explanation? Will the O'Bannons allow people to donate money to the memorial in return for a space where the donor has their name engraved? (In all seriousness, I think that last idea is good one.)
Look, I don't have anything against memorials. I don't have anything against memorializing someone's name because of their contributions to humanity. And if anyone has earned a right to be immortalized in stone (bronze or whatever), it's probably Frank O'Bannon. But let's see, last time I checked we had O'Bannon Woods; there's the new O'Bannon Woods Aquatic Center; there's O'Bannon Park at the YMCA; last but not least, there's O'Bannon Publishing. And now, lest we forget, it looks like we're going to have the O'Bannon Memorial on the square in Downtown Corydon.
Heck, the only thing not bearing the O'Bannon name is the town itself.
All I can say is the idol has clay feet.
Good one, Chad!
I hereby give you a big old “SECOND!”