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What's in a name? Plenty
We fully support the Westmoreland Davis Foundation's suggestion to the Loudoun public school system to name the new Leesburg high school after Gov. Westmoreland Davis, the only governor ever elected from Loudoun County.
The school's Naming Committee has rejected the name and is recommending two other names ?Old George Town and Tuscarora. Leesburg High School was selected as an alternate choice.
The School Board says this high school, to be built in the field directly in front of the mansion at Morven Park, is to open in fall 2009.
Davis was among those individuals who helped shape the history of Loudoun County. He and his wife, Marguerite Inman, bought 1,100-acre Morven Park in 1905. The governor worked at improving agricultural methods and livestock breeding on the estate, sharing valuable information with other farmers. After serving as Virginia's governor from 1918 to 1922, Davis in 1929 bought the Times-Mirror and operated it from his office at Morven Park until his death in 1942. Morven Park continues today as a public park and center for equine studies.
It would seem like a fitting tribute for the school system to honor Gov. Davis.
Other names are less appropriate. The Tuscarora tribe resided throughout the mid-Atlantic region, not only in Loudoun County. And there's already been a Leesburg High School, which ceased operations after the 1953-54 school year. The building still stands on North Street.
Gov. Davis and his wife never had children, but they cared deeply about education and youth. The Davises hosted an annual picnic on the lawn of Morven Park for the students of Loudoun County. And they set up a trust that continues to this day to fund scholarships.
The School Board will have the final say at the September meeting. We hope school officials reconsider and that history reigns supreme.
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