Community voices strong support for facility naming proposals at Alexandria school board hearing
Speakers urge board not to defer decisions on four naming proposals, with Kerry Donley athletic fields drawing most passionate advocacy
Community members attended a public hearing Thursday evening to advocate for naming four Alexandria City Public Schools facilities, with speakers urging the school board not to delay decisions scheduled for next week.
The Alexandria City School Board heard from 13 speakers during the Dec. 11 hearing on proposals to name facilities at four schools. The board plans to vote Dec. 18 on the naming requests, which drew more than 1,400 poll responses from the community.
The most passionate advocacy centered on naming the athletic fields at the Minnie Howard campus the Kerry Donley Athletic Field Complex. Former Alexandria Mayor and U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who served as mayor from 1985 to 1990 and represented Virginia’s 8th Congressional District for 24 years, compared Donley to the character George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” calling him “a generous soul, a loving soul.”
“He wasn’t particularly cut out to be an academic. He had maybe too much energy, but he loved the sports,” Moran said. “If he had not passed away so early, before he had accomplished anywhere near what he intended because he had so many visions for Alexandria that he had committed his life to.”
Donley served as Alexandria’s mayor from 1996 to 2003 and later worked as athletic director at what was then T.C. Williams High School from 2005 to 2008. He died suddenly in July 2022 of an apparent heart attack at age 66. Donley was Alexandria’s mayor during the Sept. 11 attacks and helped lead the city through that day and its aftermath.
Several speakers emphasized Donley’s extensive community service beyond his political career. Gail Reuter listed numerous nonprofit boards where Donley served, including the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, Center for Alexandria’s Children, Carpenter Shelter, and Senior Services of Alexandria.
“I cannot think of a better example to inspire our students than Kerry Donley,” Reuter said. “There is not one person I have talked to that doesn’t immediately say what a wonderful way to recognize someone who did so much for our city.”
Donley’s daughter, Caitlin Donley, spoke about her father’s dedication to Titan athletics as both a parent and administrator. She noted that she and her four sisters competed in a combined 59 seasons across multiple sports at Alexandria City High School.
“My dad rarely missed a game, meet or regatta, and that included several road trips to see the crew team compete all the way in Canada,” she said. “He was often there in suit and tie, having come straight from a civic association meeting or work session or other community engagement.”
The Kerry Donley proposal led community polling with 49% support, compared to 39.7% for “Titan Territory Athletic Field Complex” and 11.4% preferring no name.
Opposition surfaces
One speaker raised concerns about the Donley proposal. Greg Paspatis, a 1978 T.C. Williams graduate, opposed naming a public school facility after someone who attended private Bishop Ireton High School.
“I don’t think we should name something at our public high school after somebody that avoided going to that public high school,” Paspatis said. He suggested honoring John Emerson Cure, a 1968 T.C. Williams graduate who died serving as a Green Beret lieutenant.
Former city councilman Lonnie Rich, who served on Alexandria City Council from 1991 to 2000 and is an Alexandria Living Legend, responded to that criticism.
“It may be true that he went to a private school, but I have a feeling that’s more had to do with his father than with Kerry himself,” Rich said. He noted that Donley chose to send his own five daughters through Alexandria public schools.
“No public official has ever done more for public education in this city than Kerry Donley,” Rich said. “He’s a special hero and he should be memorialized.”
Moran echoed that sentiment, noting that when Donley “had the decision, he sent his children to the Alexandria public schools because he loved what Alexandria’s public schools stood for.”
Keith Burns field draws support
Strong support also emerged for naming the field at Parker-Gray Stadium after Keith Burns, a 1990 T.C. Williams graduate who played 13 NFL seasons and won two Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos. Burns, who was raised in Alexandria by his mother as the youngest of four children, had his Titan jersey No. 48 retired during his rookie season with the Broncos in 1994. In a notable historical connection, it was Donley, then mayor, who presented Burns with a key to the city following the Broncos’ first Super Bowl victory.
Michael Johnson, a 1975 T.C. Williams graduate, highlighted Burns’ ongoing community contributions over 25 years, including scholarships, mentoring other NFL players from Alexandria, and recent community events.
“Just two weeks ago, we did Thanksgiving dinner. We called it the Friendsgiving,” Johnson said. “We did over 250 families just two weeks ago.”
Johnson noted that Burns, who is now coaching at Howard University, established a scholarship in his name with Alexandria City Public Schools and has mentored four other Alexandria natives who went on to play in the NFL.
Paspatis, despite opposing the Donley proposal, voiced strong support for Burns. “He’s the greatest pro football player to come out of Alexandria,” he said. “And he wore my number, number 48, which was retired.”
The Burns proposal narrowly led community polling with 40.1% support, edging out Sgt. DeForest L. Talbert Field by just 17 votes. However, 21.3% of respondents preferred leaving the field unnamed.
Titan Territory debate
Multiple speakers addressed concerns about the “Titan Territory” branding conflicting with individual naming. Former T.C. Williams Principal John Porter, who led the school from 1984 to 2006 and is an Alexandria Living Legend, said the concepts can coexist.
“As one of the most dedicated promoters of Titan Pride for the past 40 plus years or so in our community, I believe I’m in a position to address the choices before you,” Porter said.
He cited examples already in place at the King Street campus: “Over the years, the Titan brand has positively coexisted with other naming opportunities, the most evident being at the King Street campus where we have the Gary Bertiere Gymnasium with the Earl Lloyd floor,” Porter said.
Porter offered to help offset signage costs, noting that supporters “are more than willing to determine a way to offset the cost to the system and our taxpayers for this designation.”
Other proposals
The Early Childhood Center courtyard proposal received the strongest community support, with 75% backing “Owen’s Place” to honor Owen Michael Wagner, the late son of the center’s first principal.
Kelly Wentz, reading a statement from Principal Heidi Haggerty Wagner, explained that Owen died in 2016 at age 19 from an undiagnosed heart condition. Memorial funds helped create an outdoor classroom space with areas for dramatic play, STEM exploration, and gardening.
Current Cora Kelly School Principal Molly McCabe, who previously served at the Early Childhood Center, described the courtyard as “bursting with joyful hands-on learning that defines high quality early childhood education.”
The fourth proposal would name the media center at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary after Jean B. Reid, who served as an ACPS reading specialist from 1971 to 2001. This proposal received 50.1% support in community polling.
Calls for action
Several speakers urged the board not to defer the decisions. Rich said, “Decisions are never made easier by deferral. In that spirit, I would encourage you not to postpone a decision on the field naming but to make your decision this month as scheduled.”
Former ACPS teacher Mark Eaton credited Donley with leading the community through a major shift in thinking that resulted in the construction of the current King Street campus, which opened in 2007.
“In an era where there were weekly letters to the newspapers complaining about city taxes and wasteful spending on school and city projects, Kerry Donley guided the discussion that led to a massive community mind shift,” Eaton said. “As you wrestle with capacity problems, please remember Kerry Donley, without whom the King Street building might never have been built.”
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt recommended last week that only Owen’s Place move forward, citing narrow margins and budget constraints for the other proposals. The board is scheduled to vote on all four naming requests at its Dec. 18 meeting.