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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > March > 03 > Entry
Editorial: Wright brothers more Ohio than Edison, Stowe
Which dead Ohioans should be memorialized in statues at the U.S. Capitol building?
People bring all manner of agendas to the question. Some think there’s a dearth of women there. (There is.) Some want members of racial minorities. Some are looking for a boost for their own hometown.
A lot of people in Dayton want the Wright brothers.
Allow for all the local prejudices you want to allow for in the current editorial, the fact remains that the case for Orville and Wilbur is awfully powerful.
All states have been told they may replace the people from their states who are now on display. Ohio is replacing a discredited 19th-century governor.
A committee of the Ohio legislature worked up a list of 93 Ohioans from which to choose. Now it has narrowed the list to 10, a useful service.
Each member was allowed to pick 10 and rank them. So a total ranking emerged. But the total ranking has no formal meaning. The public will be allowed to cast votes on the 10, before the committee makes the final selection.
The ranking of the top 10 is not as useful as their selection.
Top vote-getter was Thomas Edison. True, his accomplishments and importance cannot be reasonably denigrated, compared to anybody, even the Wrights.
But he lived in Ohio only until he was seven.
Coming in second was Harriet Beecher Stowe, another worthy figure. She was the author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” which Abraham Lincoln may or may not have — seriously or not seriously — labeled the cause of the Civil War. She certainly brought slavery to the attention of a lot of people in the North.
For Ohioans who think the honoree should represent a clear moral cause, she has appeal.
However, like Edison, her connection to Ohio was limited. She moved to Cincinnati in her early 20s and stayed for about 20 years. She did her famous writing on the East Coast, and she lived a long life there.
Maybe one guideline in picking an honoree should be that people who might be picked by some other state, too, should be excluded.
Well, no other state could pick the Wright brothers (certainly not North Carolina). The next three finishers on the committee list were great athlete Jesse Owens and two people most Ohioans have never heard of: women’s vote activist Harriet Taylor Upton, and abolitionist James M. Ashley.
Only then come the Wright brothers.
One explanation for their surprisingly low rank might be a certain confusion as to whether they’re even eligible. State Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, a committee member, said she was “heartbroken” to learn that the feds have a rule against including two people in one statue.
She said if it hadn’t been for that, she would put the brothers in her top three. As it was, she didn’t list them at all.
Others, however, think the two-people issue is still open. A certain ruling does specify only one person. However, Dayton-area Congressman Mike Turner — pushing the Wrights — asked the Congressional Research Office if there’s precedent for two. The CRO said one existing statue has a woman and a baby, and others have the main person and additional panels featuring other people.
A good bet is that if Ohio really wants to go with the Wright brothers, a way can be found.
In pursuing that goal, Daytonians needn’t worry about being seen as mere local boosters. When you’re right, you’re right.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Local History, Martin Gottlieb
Comments
By Paulette
March 3, 2010 9:36 PM | Link to this
I really think the Wright Brothers represent Ohio’s ingenuity, hard work ethic and were known around the world.
By STOP The PRESSES!
March 4, 2010 11:57 AM | Link to this
WOW! Stop the presses…oh wait, with the low and ever declining subscription base the presses probably are stopped. START THE PRESSES! That’s right, START the PRESSES the editorial writers just wrote a piece that finally captures the view and beliefs of people in the Miami Valley! That’s right, the DDN actually editorialized WITH US and not against us! Save yesterday’s paper…maybe cut out this article and put it in a scrap book…Then when the paper goes way of other papers out-of-tune with their readers you can pull this article out and say, “If only they had been more in touch with their customer base they might still be around today.”
By irishguy
March 4, 2010 3:19 PM | Link to this
I agree with Stop the Presses, you guys hit the nail on the head with that choice.
By Androgen
March 4, 2010 3:29 PM | Link to this
Why does it always have to be ‘a dead Ohioian?” I’d like to see a tribute to the average man or woman looking for employment to keep the dream alive! That would serve as a more accurate reminder for the Capitol Building.
By Concerned Daytonian
March 6, 2010 1:22 PM | Link to this
I believe that hundreds and thousands of years into the future, the 20th Century will be remembered primarily for two events - the first controlled, powered flight by a human being and the first visit to the moon by a human being. Longing to fly and to go to the moon are dreams that have been a part of human imagination from the beginning of time. They both occurred in the 20th Century and, amazingly, were accomplished by Ohioans. Neil Armstrong’s remarkable feat when the second of these two events came to pass was the result of the entire nation’s efforts and involved the work and expertise of thousands of people; so, as much as we love Neil and that incredible achievement, it would be impossible to credit just one person with it. On the other hand, Wilbur and Orville Wright, working alone together, made the first of the two dreams come true with their own scientific acumen, truly basic research, incredible insight, and dogged determination. Their accomplishment is so overpowering in importance to humankind that any other event, no matter how key to events occurring at the time, or how brave, or how noble, pales in comparison. We in Dayton have become accustomed to the legacy of the Wright Brothers because it all happened right here and we hear about it often. Outside Dayton, others view it with the awe and wonder it so richly deserves. However it is accomplished from an artistic standpoint, the only choice in this matter is to honor the Wrights in such an important place and in such an important way. So, to Congressman Mike Turner, and whoever it is that can make this happen, please keep fighting until you succeed. The entire community and state should get behind this and not let it slip away as the original bicycle shop did all those years ago.
By Spike
March 10, 2010 6:57 AM | Link to this
I suggest no humans but rather a cigarette and a beer. The State of Ohio can not live with out the taxes on each and taxes are this states real legacy. Soft drinks are next.
By It's Great in Dayton!!!!!
March 11, 2010 9:12 AM | Link to this
The Wright Bros, Jesse Owens, Hariet Beecher Stowe, and Thomas Edison all agree: DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING DAYTON’S DYING
By fortressdayton
March 11, 2010 12:40 PM | Link to this
If anyone represents Ohio it should be a man standing alone with his pockets turned out…No Money! make it an aluminum statue, because we probably can’t afford bronze.