Bomber Mascot Crisis
Issue # 13 ~ 08/08/01
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Editor's Note:

Yesterday I stopped by the RSD Administrative Offices to
enquire as to the state of the agenda and its supporting
documents for the August 14 Board meeting.  The process
for distributing the "packet" to the members of the board
is to complete it on the Friday prior to the Tuesday
meeting and then to send it by snail mail.  Sandy
Armstrong, who prepares the package, was away from the
office; I shall revisit on Thursday to see if the
material is available, if not, I shall endeavor to obtain
the material on Friday.  Then I shall post it for all to
examine.

Richard Anderson (60) -- Editor, Mascot Crisis
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Today's comments submitted by:

Burt Pierard (59)
Judy Willox (61)
Brenda Fisher (78)
Jil Lytle (82)
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>>From: Burt Pierard (59)

To: Lynn Johnson Andrews (63)
Re: Question about RSB statements

Lynn, you asked (BMC#11), "Can anyone point out an entry
for me where it clearly states that the School Board
wants to change the name???"  Nobody can do so for the
simple reason that the School Board has not met since
Semler's underhanded assault on our Bomb.  Their next
meeting is on Aug. 14.  In the meantime, we have to be
content with the statements of the Chief Executive
Officer for the Board, Supt. Semler, in his private
meeting with Roy Ballard (63).  Semler is responsible for
drafting the agenda item and the supporting
documentation.  He would like to convince you that he is
isolated from the issue when, in fact, he has almost
total control of the situation, at least what will be
considered.

As of Monday evening, Aug. 6, Semler had not submitted
his paperwork to the Board.  Our contacts in Richland are
making daily checks with the Administrative Office so we
can obtain a copy of his paperwork as soon as it is
available.  Hopefully, he will not intentionally delay
his move until the last minute before the meeting.

To: Marjo Vinther Burt (77)
Re: Your conversation with your daughter (BMC #12)

I strongly recommend that you review the Bomber Name
Research Reports prepared by Ray Stein (64)
<AllBombers.tripod.com/BvB/Report-Stein.htm> and
myself <AllBombers.tripod.com/BvB/Report-Pierard.htm>.
Naturally, I feel that my report should be concentrated
on since it received essentially unanimous approval of
the alumni who wished to publicly comment in the Alumni
Sandstorm.  There were a few diplomatically neutral
responses (not surprising to me, considering the status
of my debate opponent) but all the rest were supportive
of my argument.

I feel that I thoroughly debunked the "Day's Pay as
Namesake" myth as a complete fabrication and tried to
warn you parents what the kids have been taught for the
last ten years.  If I was a parent (or grandparent) of a
kid at RHS today, I would be mad as heck and be over at
the school pounding on desks and saying, "Show Me The
Documentation."  If you were to do that, you would find
that there is NOT A SINGLE DOCUMENT in existence (prior
to the 1990's) that shows any connection, by name,
between Day's Pay and Col-Hi/RHS.  Nothing.  Zero, zip,
zilch, nada.  I recommend that you run a print of my
report and sit down and discuss it with your daughter.

I also maintain that by my identifying the leader of the
"Gang of Four" RHS anti-nuke administrators in my report,
this whole mess with our new Bomb is pure unadulterated
retaliation!  On the day my report was published, the
"Gang of Four" called their newest best friend, Supt.
Semler, and the Bomb was literally torn out the next day,
after having resided peacefully in the foyer for over two
weeks.

See you in Richland on August 14.

Bomber Cheers,
-Burt Pierard (59) ~ Monroe, WA
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>>From: Judy Willox Hodge (61)

To: Marjo Vinther Burt (77)

I found your entry quite interesting as I too experienced
the dilemma of the plane v. the bomb with my grandson.
He will be a new Bomber next year, and it was at the R2K
in June of 2000 that he first encountered the Bomber Camp
and what it was to be a Bomber!  He was enthralled with
it all and decided right then and there that he was going
to be a Bomber or know the reason why!

Having been to the school at the R2K and seeing the plane
on the wall outside the gym, he did assume that it was
the reason that we were called the Bombers.  He did
notice the little bomb at the basketball game, but did
not put two and two together until this year at the R2K-1
when the big new bomb came onto the scene.  It was then
that he got it -- the ol' light bulb went off -- and he
turned to me and asked me in wide-eyed wonder if the bomb
was the reason that we were called the Bombers.  I said,
"Yes, and don't you ever let anyone tell you different
and don't you ever forget it!"  He said back that, "Wow!
That is cool!  But I want them both to stay at the
school, the plane and the bomb!"  He was VERY upset when
they took that new bomb out of the school.  He had talked
to Burt Pierard (59) at the R2K-1 reunion and had gotten
to know about it, had taken some video footage of it, and
quickly became really attached to it.  He thought that
putting that bomb together and giving it to the school by
some of the alumni was pretty neat.

So ya see, Marjo, ya gotta educate them real early!
LOL!!  When my grandson enters the portals of his new
school and walks around the mushroom cloud (yes, I even
warned him about THAT at the R2K -- around it, NOT on
it!) he will fully KNOW why he is a Bomber, how he came
to be called that and what we are all about!!  And he
too, as do I, agree with you that the idea of the bomb
AND the plane as mascots is grand!!  *G*!!  And he
already likes what we are and what we are all about!!  He
will make a great Bomber!!  And, I am proud!!  *G*!!

Bomber Cheers and Pride With No Fear to Fight!
-Judy Willox Hodge (61)
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>>From: Brenda Fisher Sponholtz (78)

To Marjo Vinther(77):

When I first started reading all the comments about the
bomb removal at the school, I asked my daughter (02) and
my son (04) what they thought about it.  My daughter was
very upset.  She and all of her friends -- being the
senior class this year -- were excited about the new
addition to their school.  They all couldn't wait for the
first day of school to see the BOMB.  She went right out
on the internet to tell everyone what has happened and
that they all need to fight to get the bomb back.  My son
also was saddened to hear about the removal.  His
question was, "What about the mushroom cloud?"  Will they
want to remove that also?  Isn't that a result of the
BOMB?  How can they remove one item of history without
removing it all?  Many questions to be answered.  I did
ask them both if they knew the true meaning of the word
BOMBERS.  Both knew all about the history of the making
of the bomb and what it did.  Both said that they were
taught about it from elementary, middle, and high school.
I asked them if they were ashamed of their school mascot.
Both said, "NO!!!"  It is a part of history, nothing
more.  They both are very proud to be BOMBERS and have no
problem telling others where they live and what school
they go to.  I think you will find that a very large part
of the student body will tell you the same as my
children.

Leave our school mascot alone and give us back the bomb.
The school board can try to change our name, but with so
many of us "BOMBERS" still living here, you know that the
name "BOMBERS" and its meaning will never die.   I can
only hope that the school board will listen to everyone
at the Aug. meeting and will see how stupid this all is
and will give permission for the BOMB to be put back in
the gym.  I feel it was a wonderful gift to be given to
the school.

-Brenda Fisher Sponholtz (78)
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>>From: Jil Lytle-Smith (82)

I too have a Class of '04 Bomber.  She and many of her
friends believe that the name Bombers represents both the
plane and the bomb.  Her take on it is the bombs and
mushroom clouds and the mural of the Day's Pay on the
wall all represent the history of the making of the
components for the bomb at Hanford.  The kids were well
aware of the history of the bomb in this area and this
group that I spoke with feels that it is important to
keep our mascot and Bomber name.  So, for some in the
Class of '04, it is an important part of history and
should preserved.  They are Proud of the Cloud! (and the
bomb and the plane!).

Always a Bomber and a Bomber Mom!!!
-Jil Lytle-Smith (82)
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That's it for today.  Keep the faith!  Nuke 'em!
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Send RHS Nickname/Mascot entries to:
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