Tie Indian name to park's history

To the editor:

I find it a little bewildering that political correctness at Southeast Missouri State University has gone astray. I graduated from SEMO in 1960 and had a football scholarship during the Kenneth Knox era.

The school is not thinking creatively, even though it appears to be under political pressure to change the name. After all, the university campus is near Trail of Tears State Park, which honors the memories of this tragic history. Doesn't the university see the connection and the possibilities of using the Indian name to honor the history of Native Americans in some coordinated effort with this park?

If the Washington Redskins can maintain their name with dignity in Washington, D.C., surely the university could also hold its head high by keeping the Indian name. If civic leaders in the area and university heads do not synergize this natural connection with the park, then a valuable opportunity is lost forever. Every time the Indian name is seen or uttered, it offers a moment to remember.

Keep the name with pride and honor. Put the park theme in the brochures and media guides of the university. Keep the Indian name and expand the efforts to make it meaningful. Trail of Tears State Park and the Southeast Indians are a natural, politically correct partnership.

I suspect if the Indian name were offered as an option, it correctly would win this naming contest overwhelmingly. It would be the right thing to do.

ROY FASSEL

Los Angeles