O'Meara Street Naming RequestJanuary 11, 2007
An open letter to the Mayor and City Council of Dubuque
City of Dubuque
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Time has just ended or closed for the 2006 year. And time has just begun or started for
2007. Hence time has come, time to honor those war dead of the Vietnam-era conflict.
It is time to recognize those individuals separate, apart and independent of each other.
The Dubuque Community School District considered many names for the new West Side
elementary school. Someone suggested that schools be named for a soldier, sailor,
Marine or airman who has given up his/her life for America. I know and suggest there are
far too many dead that outnumber the schools built or to be built.
Therefore, the city of Dubuque should identify and name city streets after each and every
person who died in combat. Leave the roads, avenues and boulevards for the elitists or
public ofFicials -however, the peaceful and quite residential streets should belong to the
military that died in our defense.
A Street named ]uergens, Sutherland, Myers, Meloy, plus some 11 or so others, would
end a conflict of the mind. These guys deserve to be remembered in their community,
which they left hoping to return to. Return they did, however they did not achieve the
white hair or age as I have. Their faces and youth still remain in my mind's eye as they
have for these many years. The young men's names should be forever incorporated into
the community they grew up in.
Black street signs with their "surnames" in Gold print only. No rank, no branch of
service, no middle initial, no first name, just the "name" by themselves alone. While
growing up the Kids of the Neighborhood will ask their parents why their Street sign is
different -- and can be told the person died in service to his or her country.
In closing, I trust you can enact a Resolution to name various streets throughout the
community in accordance with and starting with the first individual who died in ~omhar.
sincerely,
iG
c.:
v D. ich 1 O'Meara
l 5 N. Cathy Lane
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056-3070
cc: City Manager
City Clerk