Letter from Mike Self

I am a 1967 graduate of Lee High School.

The school was named for its proximity to Lee Highway (72 east), and yes, General Lee became its mascot and its moniker.

I also accept that whatever pleas former graduates might make will most likely fall on deaf ears, but it will make us feel better for having made the effort to prevent a mistake.

There were 448 graduates in our class; the vast majority of us were transplants from all over the country.  In my case our family moved here from Wichita, Kansas.  We did not know it at the time, but as we continued to grow up we realized early on we had had great, great teachers, who along with our parents, instilled a love of learning and life which has carried us through to our current stage in life. 

We had several graduates go on to dedicate their careers to educating all students, be they black, white, Hispanic or Asian.  As educators we were taught at home and at school to be color blind.  Several of us went on to become Principals, and one (Penny Sumners) was a long-time principal at Lee.  Tim Lull went on to be a superintendent in Alabama and Georgia.  Phil Hastings, Debbie Collinsworth (’68), myself, and Jim Black were all Lee grads and except for Debbie were ’67 graduates, and became principals.  There may be others of whom I am unaware, so I apologize to them for not including them in my letter.

In my case I went on to complete my doctorate in Special Education and Statistics at the University of Alabama in 1975.  I am completing my 42^nd year in education, and certainly have seen school names come and go with no real difference or benefit being derived.  I have taught at the university level (Alabama A&M, and UAH among them), been a classroom teacher in Huntsville, worked in the central office of the Madison County schools, been a building principal for 21 years and even ran for the Huntsville Board of Education and narrowly lost because I did not embrace AEA.

I have earned my credibility to be heard regarding the possible name change of Lee High.

For what purpose would the name be changed?

The only feasible explanation would be that Robert E. Lee speaks to the vestiges of the old South, and the current Lee is currently populated by a majority of black students?  (I have no idea of the black-white student population of Lee, but must assume it is sizeable enough to drive a name change).

Has Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery changed its name because it is now an urban high school also with a probable minority population?  ( I do not know, am just asking)

Are students at the current Lee High being harassed or made to feel inferior because of the school’s name?

If you do not close Butler High School are you going to do away with their Rebel mascot?

Is it now ok to change personal and community identities and traditions just to be politically expedient and correct?  In 1957, Huntsville celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150) Anniversary, with a population of 12,500.  In 1961 it had a population of 160,000.  What made Huntsville so unique for a Southern town was it retained the very best of its Southern heritage, and yet adopted the German influence, and because of the very diversity of its swelling population became a very cosmopolitan town all wrapped up in one diversified community.  Add to that the remarkable and enlightened leadership of some great mayors and City Council members regarding race relations, Huntsville never suffered the poor race relations afflicting other parts of the country, and not just in the South.

What grievous wrong will be fixed by a name change?  By changing the name aren’t the thousand’s of Lee graduates now being relegated to secondary status because our traditions and values are being discounted?  That is what this effort would achieve.  Am I, and others, supposed to be ashamed of our educations, affiliations, traditions, and friendships (with blacks and whites)?  Are we saying that blacks graduating from Lee are paralyzed into not developing into successful and productive citizens because of the name of the high school they attended?  Let’s ask Condredge Hollaway, and the many, many other successful black graduates of Lee High School how stigmatized they have been?

My plea:  Exercise some common sense, PLEASE?

Mike Self