To the Journal editor:

The Marquette Area Public School’s sports team’s “Redmen/Redette” name and mascot has been determined to be offensive to the Native American community. Many other local schools, colleges and universities have avoided this problem by using the names of various minerals, animals, automobiles, professions, etc.

I suggest that MAPS consider gracefully dropping the “Red” moniker in deference to the Native American community and look for some special local thing on which to rename its sports teams and mascot.

Marquette has several cool unique things going for it which might provide a suitable team name. For example, how many towns can claim to have a Dead River? The Dead River has played an important part in local history, providing several suitable sites for hydropower dams, reservoirs for camps, swimming, fishing and boating; a coal powered electric generating plant; sites for former charcoal kilns, sawmills, and dynamite works.

In honoring our Dead River heritage, perhaps the names “Deadmen” and “Deadettes” would suffice. Imagine hearing game announcers saying “Bring out the Dead!” as Marquette’s team enters the field through a coffin-like archway. After each game, the Deadmen would live to tell tales about their accomplishments on the field.

The marching/pep band could play funeral dirges when the team scores. The mascot could be a person dressed as an undertaker, grim reaper, or walking dead type character who is there to collect the souls of the opposition when Marquette wins. It would give the games a sort of fun Halloween-Beetlejuice feel.

There are five dams on the Dead River, though only one remaining within the Marquette city limits (Collinsville Dam was removed). Failure in 2003 of a fuse plug installed at Silver Lake Dam resulted in a huge flood and much damage, including washing out Tourist Park Dam. Hoist, McClure and Forestville dams held up, preventing what could have been a much worse disaster. Silver Lake Dam was subsequently reconstructed, Hoist Dam was reinforced and about 10 years later, the Marquette Board of Power and Light reconstructed Tourist Park Dam. In honor of the dam building and maintenance heritage of our area, perhaps a suitable team name might be the “Dammers” and “Dammettes.”

A pipe called a penstock carries water to the turbines in the powerhouse. In honor of the hydropower generation heritage of our area, perhaps a suitable team name might be the “Penstocks” or “Turbines.”

BRYAN HILL

Skandia