On July 28, 1958 Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox was born in Winnipeg. His family moved to B.C. when he was a young child.
The Purple Rod is proposing that the Perimeter Highway be renamed in honour of Fox. It seems fitting. For many of us old enough to have kept up with the Marathon of Hope on the evening news, the image of Fox hop-skipping down a lonely highway is a strong memory.
Naming things in honour of famous citizens has always been a controversial issue in this town. This dates back to the days of Crown corporation Winnipeg Enterprises which swatted aside many attempts to name its Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg Velodrome. (It's only recently that a star-struck mayor has fast-forwarded the process to arbitrarily recognize "hot" sports stars even before their careers have ended, examples being Milt Stegall, Cindy Klassen, Jonathan Toews.)
Even a proposal to rename Wayoata School, which Fox attended up to grade three, to Terry Fox School ended up becoming a political storm back in 2004 - 2005 that, once finally quashed, no-one has dared revisit.
So, does Terry Fox pass the smell-test to have the Perimeter Highway named for him ? If you think so, check out The Purple Rod's petition and spread the word !
Related:
Terry Fox CBC Archives
5 comments:
Thank you, WED.
I appreciate you taking the time to spread the word about my petition, which can be found here:
http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/the-city-of-winnipeg-change-the-name-of-the-perimeter-highway-to-terry-fox-drive
Giving Fox the recognition he deserves in his birth city, is long overdue, in my opinion. He accomplished so much for cancer research during his Marathon of Hope run, that one wonders why some in the city have been reluctant to honor him in the past.
Ego tripping antisemite native hater. Helmet says it all.
Don't pollute your blog.
If Gene Simmons can get the key to the city, I don't see why on earth the road should not be renamed.
Well said, Manic.
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