Re: D.C., Puerto Rico & territory quarter designs submitted for review

"Padraic Brown" <elemtilas@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:gn8u24paint6ub8b49ijtn2tojeecdbg0s@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Fri, 16 May 2008 19:40:16 -0400, "Bruce Remick" <remick@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Padraic Brown" <elemtilas@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>news:dgkr24l3mbev74vti2qcrdk2lkfrig8vu8@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> On Fri, 16 May 2008 11:24:59 -0400, "Bruce Remick" <remick@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>"stonej" <stonej@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>>>news:72afa17f-3ba0-4e3a-9838-47605617c7fb@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>>On May 16, 8:56 am, "Bruce Remick" <rem...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>>> "stonej" <sto...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>>>>
>>>>>  D.C. is mostly African American so I think those designs are
>>>>> appropriate
>>>>> in that context.   The survey guy is rather obscure.
>>>>
>>>>Few DC residents ever heard of Banneker and the few that have probably
>>>>don't
>>>>know what he did.  He apparently never lived in DC, just did some
survey
>>>>work there.  Ellington was born in DC but made his name worldwide and
>>>>isn't
>>>>really otherwise associated with DC per se.
>>>
>>> Right. Except for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts; Duke
>>> Ellington Jazz Festival; Duke Ellington Society; Duke Ellington
>>> Bridge; Duke's City (restaurant/jazz club); etc.
>>
>>Strictly because he was born there.
>
> Naturally. If he were born in Chicago, I wouldn't expect so many
> references to him in DC! But that was rather the point: he's a DC
> native son, went out in the world and did amazing things with music.
> It's perfectly reasonably that he should be celebrated here in his
> birthplace and be commemorated on the quarter as part of the local
> culture.
>
>> He had little connection with DC during
>>his career.
>
> So?

So, few residents knew he had enough of a DC connection to merit choosing 
him to represent the District's on its quarter.  I suspect few even
realized 
he was born here.  There are many monuments, memorials, and namesakes in
DC 
for individuals who were famous but weren't born there.

>
> Mind you, I still think "Taxation Without Representation" is more apt.
>
>>>> Douglas was a prominent African
>>>>American in DC in his time, but that was long ago and mostly
forgotten.
>>>>As
>>>>for the designs, maybe the preliminary line drawings won't do justice
to
>>>>the
>>>>final rendering.
>>>
>>> Kind of sad that these rather outstanding men have amounted to
>>> "few...ever heard of", "isn't really associated with" and "mostly
>>> forgotten".
>>
>>Strictly a reflection of the types of people that inspire today's
>>generation.
>
> Or the lack of education the present generation has received, coupled
> with the attitudes bequeathed by the last generation!

I imagine that the DC student curriculum may included more information on 
Douglas than that of students in other areas.  How much of it they
retained 
or cared about is debatable.  Most don't relate much farther back than
MLK. 
The previous generation probably doesn't either.  Who knows?  If Douglas 
makes it on the DC quarter, things may change.