This time however, it’s Nancy not Ronald.

On Monday, Rep. Jody Hiice (R-Ga.) introduced, H.R. 5457, a bill to change the name of Gravelly Point Park to Nancy Reagan Memorial Park. The park, located just a few miles away from the airport, along George Washington Memorial Parkway, is a popular spot for folks who like to picnic and watch the planes land. The proposed change was first reported by ARLnow. com.

AD

Said Hice in a news release announcing the bill:

AD

Beside every great leader, there is a great partner, and for President Reagan, that was Nancy Reagan. With her passing in March, our Nation continues to grieve the loss of one of our most beloved treasures. Like her husband, Mrs. Reagan invested in people and worked diligently to strengthen our communities and advance the American dream for our citizens.

He continued:

Gravelly Point Park is a popular place for families to picnic, bike, or simply watch planes while enjoying the DC landscape in the background. Given its proximity to the airport named for her husband, renaming Gravelly Point Park as the Nancy Reagan Memorial Park would be an apt tribute to the remarkable First Lady so revered by our Nation.

Renaming airports and national monuments can be a tricky business as the Obama administration found out last year when it changed the name of America’s highest mountain. In an effort to improve relations with Native Americans, Mount McKinley became Mount Denali, an Athabascan name used by generations of Alaska Natives that means “the great one.”

The move drew immediate criticism from Republicans, particularly those from Ohio who saw the move as a slight to McKinley, a proud Ohioan, who was elected in 1896, but assassinated just six months into his second term.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) fired off several tweets in which he said he was “disappointed” with the move to jettison McKinley’s name.

AD

“This decision by the Administration is yet another example of the President going around Congress,” he tweeted, adding: “I urge Admin 2 work w/ me 2 find alternative ways 2 honor McKinley’s legacy somewhere else in the natl park that once bore his name.”

AD

That uproar prompted the political arm of CREDO mobile, a San Francisco-based cellphone company known for its support of progressive causes, to launch a petition drive to change the Ronald Reagan National Airport’s name back to its original moniker. There also is Lady Bird Johnson Park,

“We thought launching this campaign would be a really helpful reminder of what Republicans themselves had engaged in — a brazen political act,” said Murshed Zaheed, CREDO’s deputy political director.

There are at least some some D.C.-area landmarks named for first ladies. The White House has the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. Along the George Washington Memorial Parkway there is also the Lady Bird Johnson Park located on an island on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.

Will Mrs. Reagan get her own D.C. tribute? We’ll see.

(HT @abeaujon)

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save