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Street Names |
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Copyright © 2001 by Dave Badtke |
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You probably know the origin of the name Benicia, but what about the street where you live? If it’s named after a person, do you know who that person was? If you live on Semple Court, you probably know. But do you know the origin of Goettel Court, named after a former teacher, coach and principal of Benicia High School who died last year? Interestingly, if you’ve lived in Benicia for some time, you may have known Philip Goettel, been a student in his class, an athlete whom he coached. I’m sure none of you personally knew Robert Semple, yet I would guess that most newcomers to Benicia would know the name Semple but not necessarily the name Goettel. Should we conclude, as a result, that recent history is less important than older history? I certainly hope not. In the East African language Kiswahili, Robert Semple would be called a zamani: one whose life does not overlap with anyone who is currently living. Philip Goettel would be called a sasha: one who is remembered in the stories and lives of those who knew him and who still live among us. While we study a zamani like Semple, many Benicians actually knew Goettel and remember him well, and that is a major difference between them. Yet, when we who are new to Benicia study its history, we tend to leap back to Semple, ignoring the recent past. Might it not be better if we understood the present by sneaking up on the past, slowly, in reverse, like an historical tape we’d fast-forward to now and then rewind a little, play, rewind a bit more, play again, gradually going back further and further in time? If we were to approach history in this way, it would be more alive, since we would have the advantage of being able to talk to many among us who actually made the history. And might we not, in the process, leave historical markers in our town, like streets with names of significant citizens, that would guide us back through our recent past? Some might argue that this would be bad history, and set bad precedents, since time allows us to better understand the impact a person had on our town. If we were to focus too much on the recent past, they might say, we would lack sufficient hindsight to get it right. Strangely, it seems that something that happens today is harder to understand than something that happened a hundred years ago, but I’m not sure I believe this. It may just seem easier to understand, because we have forgotten many details and can therefore simplify our explanation. If you’ve ever been involved in an event reported in a newspaper, you probably discovered that the story, which was a first step in recording history, was like an out-of-focus picture with insufficient detail to show what really happened. Do you actually believe that the passage of time clarifies events? To my mind, this would be like believing that a trial should be delayed to give witnesses more time to think about it. Record it soon or forget it later is closer to the truth. But since there are few timeless ways to remember those who have contributed significantly, naming parks, buildings and streets among them, I was struck by the large number of street names, Raymond, Susan, Lori, Heather and many flower and tree names, that seem to have no historical significance. Thinking that I might be wrong, I decided to go to the Camel Barn Museum to find out more from Beverly Phelan and Harry Wassmann, two who rally the past, playing games of historical Ping-Pong during which they volley sasha and zamani. I asked them about the significance of many of the street names and whether there was any procedure for nominating prominent Benicians. Neither thought there was a procedure, but both agreed that the developers in the newer sections of Benicia had done a reasonable job of naming streets after important Benicians. However, without a list, without a nominating procedure, could we be sure? While we had fun trying to figure out the significance of various names, it became clear to me that part of our historical heritage was being lost, and that street names would be an especially good way for us to celebrate the living and the sasha, those who are personally remembered by us, who significantly contributed to our town. The naming of our streets could be a major event, replete with ceremony, testimonials and plaques. The process could recognize significant achievements and enliven our history of the recent past, and it could be an important responsibility for our new Historic Preservation Commission, which could regularly remind us that greatness can be less tangible than architecture and much nearer than the distant past. |
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- Dave Badtke can be contacted at: www.CarquinezReview.com; Dave@Badtke.com; PO Box 763, Benicia, CA 94510; or by calling 707-745-5540.
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