11.15.08

Renaming names

Posted in misspelling, verbal indiscretions at 10:15 am by Bill Brohaugh

As you can imagine, I’ve encountered numerous misspellings and mispronunciations of my name over the years, though I can’t for the world figure out what’s so tough about “Bill.” But seriously, folks . . .

A couple of name-related items in the news, both related to dishonor:

First, what took them so long? Twenty years to correct a painful typographical error. Finally, Clermont County, Ohio (where I lived for a time) has corrected a misspelling in a war memorial in the municipality of Bethel; Sgt. Earnest Wilson, killed by a landmine in Vietnam at age 20 in 1968, is now honored by his given name. A typo in a plaque mounted on a memorial wall had spelled the first name “Earest.”

“He made the ultimate sacrifice,” [brother] Jim Wilson noted. “The least they could do was spell his name right.”

Twenty years after the misspelled plaque was dedicated, that wrong will be made right. A new plaque, with the names of the fallen soldiers – Pfc. Robert D. Waddell, Sgt. Jerry A. Eaton, Sgt. Paul J. Chandler and Sgt. Earnest Wilson – will be unveiled at 2 p.m. Tuesday during a Veterans Day ceremony at the Bethel monument.

Second, what made him make it so long? Contrasting a story where a dedicated, caring family has fought to honor the proper name of a loved one is the story of an English brat that dishonors his own given name by officially changing it to “Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine Hulk And The Flash Combined.” Sure, it’s a stunt, but I understand his grandmother’s feelings about it:

The Glastonbury, England, teenager — originally named George Garratt — said his new name, which is thought to be the world’s longest, has so outraged his grandmother that she is no longer speaking to him, The Telegraph reported Monday.

She won’t be the last. Other people who won’t speak to him will be, say, any HR professional receiving his resume.

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