Keith Maupin, a now-deceased alum, issued a report proving that the Bomber name was a direct reference to the Fat Man. Yet the effects of the Cold War on the region lingered on, both in the mind and on the land and waters. The bomber mascot warps the war into a time filled with, Many people claim that 'the bombers' is referable to the, It's Time To Change The Richland High School Bomber Mascot, Beginning in 1943, the site was used to produce plutonium for the bomb that brought an end to World War II, Dressing for Yourself and Not Others, With Confidence and Comfort, "Ways to Follow Clothing Trends in 2021., These Are Hands Down The Best Bars In Los Angeles, 1810 Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028, USA, 9 Reasons Why 'Remember the Titans' Is The Best Movie, Why High School Musicals Should Be As Respected As Sports Programs Are. But Im not proud of the death and destruction brought by the bomb. The school is now part of the Richland School District. These existed but they do not make it OK to forget those whom lost their lives. The Cold-War buildup at Hanford also increased the size of the growing metropolitan area known as the Tri-Cities. The town of Richland, WA, is where this worship takes place. The RHS mascot glorifies violence and ignores the tragedy our contributions caused. Richland High School is located in Richland, Washington, where the Handford site is located. The local Atomic Ale Brewpub sells pints of Half-Life Hefe and Cerium Saison. Here's a link about where the nickname came from and the efforts to . The atomic age had yielded, perhaps, to the environmental era in the Pacific Northwest. It is time to change the Bomber mascot to one that doesn't receive weird looks from people outside of Eastern Washington. Richland Bombers Brief w/Logo $35.00. Plutonium manufactured at the site was used in the nuclear bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. By the late 1990s, of course, the atom seemed less appealing than before. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Seattle learned to call itself "jet city," among other "aerospacey" things, as Boeing's increasing production defined the local economy. If Uncle Sam wanted to build another reactor at Hanford or release more radioactivity into the surrounding environs, it generally saw no reason to consult the nearby population. Come join the fun. You may even be procrastinating right now while you read this article! The high school is decorated with an absurdly large BOMBERS plastered on the side of the gym that can be seen from the opposite side of the Yakima River; atomic clouds litter the buildings; an over-sized, gaudy R-Cloud lays on the center of both gymnasiums. Peace! the local newspaper headlines cried on Aug. 14, 1945. Our bomb clinched it!, This town just went totally nuts, said Burt Pierard, 74, who remembers beating pots and pans in a parade of children around his neighborhood. It is time to change the Bomber mascot to one that we can deck out our kids in without guilt or question if this is OK. [3], Richland's mascot is the "Bomber", officially named for the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress built in Seattle, but also in recognition of the city's contributions as an "Atomic City" in World War Two. Americans turned against nuclear power during the later 1970s and early 1980s. Proud of the Cloud, written on a mushroom cloud symbol, is what it says on Bomber Boosters memorabilia, which can be purchased online at: RHS Bomber Boosters Memorabilia. In 1988 a handful of teachers and students tried again to change the logo. Their mascot: Bombers. Fish and Wildlife Service, and that an 86,000-acre national wildlife refuge be created abutting the northern and eastern banks of the Hanford Reach. the most contaminated nuclear site in the country, The Bomber, The Bomb and the Bombers,, the most radioactive river in the world from World War II to the 1970s., people who were unknowingly exposed have filed claims. . Richland High School Bombers logo (below). Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society2. Richland Bombers Competitor Backpack $77.00. Olingers mother was a resident of Nagasaki when the bomb dropped. If a student asks, hell talk about what he sees in the logo. Thats our community. Richlands pride flooded into the hallways of the local high school. Teachers questioned their patriotism. However, we don't celebrate the American lives lost but we do celebrate the Japanese deaths. Since the mid-1960s, Hanford had been seeking a mission that would replace plutonium production as its reason for existence. She only survived because she was away from the city the day it hit. Jeanie Walsh Williamson ('63) ~ aka Barbra Williamson, "Desert Fathers, Uranium Daughters" available at Amazon.com, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Fullmer, A Michael Peterson 2014 Promotional Viceo, "Drink, Swear, Steal, and Lie" on YouTube, http://www.eurekalert.org/features/doe/2002-07/dnnl-bnt073102.php, http://www.whitworth.edu/Academic/Department/Physics/DepartmentSpotlight/MillerBatelle.htm, Sally O'Neal ('79) ~ Travel & Outdoor Writer, Weekly Column at Sportsman's Guide magazine, "Hiking in the Central Cascades" available at Amazon.com, "Hiking in the North Cascades" available at Amazon.com, "Bicycling Eastern WA & OR" available at Amazon.com, Roger Jaime ('82), aka MR 80s CC Poison "The Bomber", Tari Free ('83) - Disc Jockey in Seattle, http://tman.kube93.com/pages/jock_tarifree.html, The Tragic Clowns - An Analysis of the Short Lives of John Belushi, Lenny Bruce, and Chris Farley, Stories of Hope and Courage - My Experiences with Alzheimer's Disease, http://www.misstricities.org/pastmisstc.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_New_York, makes the cover of TIME magazine (9/24/94), in the December, 1989, issue of National Geographic, Miss Tri-Cities and Miss Washington, 2002. Everyone feels the desire for belonging and to fit in with the people around them. 2023 Sportswear Inc. All Rights Reserved. The football stadium, which is used for both Richland and Hanford High School events, is located immediately adjacent to the grounds of Richland High School, and was named Fran Rish Stadium in his honor in 1986. Clare Regelbrugge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Sign in to comment to your favorite stories, participate in your community and interact with your friends. Poster for 1948 Atomic Frontier Days (right). As a writer for Odyssey, youll have the opportunity to share your voice with our community of readers from all over the world. The time has come for Richland High School to change the Bomber name. Plus, for your first 10 articles, youll be compensated by HQ at $10/response. Seattle, 1963, following title page. As a civilian, would you accept being obliterated for a decision that President Trump made? So, it should not surprise anyone that people somewhere worship this thing, which gibbers madly in the collective unconscious like H.P. Columbia High was renamed Richland High School as the small farming community continued to develop as weapons production climbed during the Cold War and the town was designated as a first class city in 1958. I also understand that the United States only had limited options when it came to ending WWII: Invade or use the atomic bomb. While updating my wardrobe for my four months abroad, I found that more modest, loose clothing was what I felt most comfortable and confident in. Much more than Seattle, Richland and Hanford, products of the atom, were creatures of World War Two and the Cold War. The Space Needle and Pacific Science Center attest to the future-minded, high-tech, aerospace-oriented thinking around Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of Walla Walla District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.). But she continues to sway from one direction to the next, while I cannot seem to remember how to move. The Bombers were state champions in 1981, 1999, and 2017, and played in the title game in 1975, 1996, and 2016. We killed them. The federal government took the lead in developing the site for the purpose of producing plutonium to use in nuclear weapons during and after World War II. In Richland the atom, in an assortment of guises, became a very prominent icon. As a symbol of life, not death? Jensen went on to be a successful coach at Spokane Community College. Richland High School is located in Richland, Washington, where the Handford site is located. Indeed, with the shutdown of all but one Hanford reactor, the economic potential of the river loomed larger than before, and proposals for harnessing the Columbia further were resurrected. Operation of the Priest Rapids Dam, just upstream from Hanford, causes the river to rise or fall as much as 10 feet over a fairly short time.) The city has restaurants, bowling alleys, stores and coffee stands sporting terms like atomic, bomber and bunker. At the height of the Cold War, news reporters flocked to Richland to hear the student body chant Nuke em till they glow! across football fields and basketball courts. Moreover, the WPPSS reactors not only ran into enormous cost overruns but also were deemed increasingly unnecessary as forecasts for future demand for electricity were revised downward. I also want to clarify that I am not making light of the American and ally lives lost. Choose from thousands of products to decorate, including the newest Richland High School Bombers t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jerseys, hats, long sleeve shirts, face masks, polos, shorts, sweatpants, and more. In 2016 the school placed second in the state. We need to remember it for what it is: A time filled with fear, bloodshed, sorrow and hatred. I remember feeling relieved when I had a conversation with my boyfriend and he explained that he would love me regardless of what I wear (the only exception being the ill-fitting cat eye glasses I wore in high school but thats beside the point). Just because I am upset about Japanese citizen lives lost does not mean that all my compassion is used up on one group of people. Volunteer Schedule last updated on Mar 23, 2023 @ 7:26am (GMT) Sean Ring: Truth Teller, Freedom Fighter and Why You Should Follow Him. We cannot change the past and we cannot celebrate it, either. The highly controversial mascot has always caused a buzz amongst not only the Richland community, but statewide. I conclude with a quote from a bomber grad who also expresses my feelings. Shouldnt those around us love us for us rather than the clothes we are wearing? Thats what I see, he said. The shift in topic was near-automatic, like a switch shunting a train onto a different track. Always expecting to be on the cutting edge of nuclear technology, Tri-City residents were consistently disappointed by the twists and turns that the atomic age took. [13][14][15] Kellerman was a four-year starter at Idaho, a top ten team in 1982, and he was the Big Sky player of the year as a sophomore in 1981. What about President Obama? Additional development of the river, of hydroelectric power, and of regional farm resources was essential if the Northwest was to contribute as much as it should to American mobilization for the Cold War. Angel's Daughter - on Amazon, Legacy of Angels - on Amazon. Clinton, Sanders spar over specifics in Iowa, Yoga used to help kids cope with violence in Chicago, Seeking charges against a Chicago officer, Filipina comfort women seek official apology from Japan. Radhi, SUNY Stony Brook3. In the past, he had expressed his personal distaste for the R-Cloud after visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. Richland High School has had a strong boys golf program since the late 1960s. Most departed by August of 1945, yet the population in the vicinity was substantially higher than it had been before the war. But he wont wear the R-Cloud mascot, and hes removed it from uniforms for the students he coaches. Samantha Frost, an alumna of Richland High, called for the school to adopt a less radioactive mascot in a post on Western Washington University's Odyssey community. Some 90 percent of students and 75 percent of the staff voted to retain it. The nation needed "to develop every natural resource at its command," the Columbia Basin News opined. Customize any of our Richland High School Bombers designs to fully personalize your product by choosing colors, text, and even adding a back design. I wonder what its like to be free. Now comes the great debate that scholars have, whether those were really the only options. Richland Basketball History. Richland Bombers - Official Athletic Website - Richland, WA Richland High School Mid Columbia Conference WIAA RPI Standings 3A Hermiston High School Kennewick High School Southridge High School Walla Walla High School 4A Chiawana High School Hanford High School Kamiakin High School Pasco High School Richland High School Mid Columbia Conference Setting aside other peoples opinions and dressing for you? And around the state, and the nation, there is a growing sentiment for schools with Native American mascots (Chiefs, Braves, Indians) to change their mascots. For those who don't know, they are the Richland Bombers, with a logo consisting of an R with a mushroom cloud behind it. Volunteer Help the coach manage this team. Shop Richland High School Bombers apparel, clothing, spirit wear, gear, and merchandise at the Richland High School Spirit Shop on prepsportswear.com. Prep Sportswear is not affiliated with the Richland High School Bookstore or the RHS Bookstore. And Hanford, in contrast to Boeing, had not diversified its product line. I think back to the day I met him; the day I started loving someone more than I have ever loved myself. The Atom Bomb cannot distinguish its worshipers from its opponents, and does not care about their worship. Whether the name of the team came from the Nagasaki Bomb or from another source seems to be open to debate, see discussion here: BEAVERS ATOMS BOMBERS RESEARCH PROJECT. The paradoxical result was that the presence of the plutonium plantwhich dispensed a considerable amount of radioactivity to the cold, clear water prevented the damming of more than 50 miles of the river. Shop for the latest selection of Richland High School Bombers fan gear and apparel. Road-trips In Arizona That You're Missing Out On. In the 1980s the school became Richland High and adopted a new logo: a bright yellow capital R with a white mushroom cloud billowing up behind it. (Logo courtesy Richland High School). Here are some of the topics wed love to hear about: Whether you're an experienced writer or just starting out, we welcome anyone with a passion for writing and a desire to share their perspective. 5 talking about this. It is time to shut up and actually do something about it. The unfortunate reality is that the damage is already done. If you answered 'yes' to every single one of those presidents, then you are lying to yourself. Pre-Bomber Years (1910 to 1945) 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 BOMBERS 1946 1947 1948 1949 ALL BOMBERS' CALENDAR Last night to party with friends. 12 Phrases EVERY New York Rangers Fan Knows. Jim Qualheim, student activities director and track coach at the school, said students responded well. Richland found pride in the victory and this pride leaked into Richland culture just like the. A walk-up hamburger joint sells Bomber Burgers with names like the B-17 Flying Fortress and the Meltdown.. Light On A Distant Hill - Winner, 2011 WILLA Literary Award - on Amazon. The 2017 team was coached by Mike Neidhold, the 1999 team by Lonnie Pierson, and the 1981 team by J.D. . Pacific Northwest Quarterly 86:4 [Fall 1995], p.178. Richland Chamber of Commerce WELCOME TO RICHLAND. We are taking pride in the death of the newly weds who dreamt of starting a family together. Of course, the pride Richland has in the bomb may have its price, as there may be consequences for a town which has worked with radioactive poisons since 1944.3 I direct attention to the following article: My relationship to the bomb as image begins with my birth in Richland, Washington, in 1950, home of the Richland High School Bombers, where pretty cheerleaders still wear the logo of a mushroom cloud across their bosoms. Im glad to tell anybody that I was born and raised in Richland, and if indeed the bomb did end the war, then Im so glad it saved a lot of lives, she said. The Richland High School Store allows you to customize Bombers clothing and merch. [12] In the 1960s, they won the third place game four times in five years. To Trisha Pritikin, who grew up in Richland but moved away years ago,the R-Cloud has only negative connotations. Both the boys' and girls' team were state champions in 2003. With its ties to the Manhattan Project and the atomic bomb, Richland High changed the name of its team from the Beavers to the Bombers in 1944. With many college semesters coming to a close, students find themselves procrastinating. He always had a good taste in music and its no wonder this song was his favorite. The overall Hanford story is also contained in a rather triumphalist account by Michele Gerber, Legend and Legacy: Fifty Years of Defense Production at the Hanford Site (Richland, WA: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, 1992)], Hanford construction camp (left). Richland High School Bombers logo (below). Were currently seeking writers to join our summer writing program. Or President Clinton? Lets Not Talk About the Bad Things.. Students wear t-shirts with bombs and atomic clouds, using hashtags like #ProudoftheCloud and #GoBombers. Townspeople defended the much-criticized symbol as an accurate icon for their history. it's an individual. Richland High School is a public secondary school in the northwest United States, located in Richland, Washington. Your favorite summer hobby and how you got into it. Reactor B at Hanford, 1943-44 (right). This became particularly important between 1964 and 1971, when the AEC shut down the first eight reactors built and operated at Hanford. During the annual Seafair festival (which commemorated not space but Seattle's maritime heritage), the city hosted the Navy's squadron of Blue Angel performing jets as well as a variety of naval vessels. Thats very, very patriotic, he said. I sit; prisoner to my own body. New Richland city seal (right). Thereafter, Washingtonians took pride in Hanford as one of their state's signal contributions to victory in World War II. Were proud of the cloud, said Olinger, who regularly carried a portable cushion emblazoned with the R-Cloud logo to her daughters basketball and volleyball games. Wayback Mchine: Two-Sport Ace Gene Conley, SportsIllustrated.cnn.com Baseball Stats Website, Tri City Herald's #2 Sports Story of the Century. The school was founded as Columbia High School in 1910 to serve the educational needs of the small town of Richland. One Army Corps spokesperson explained, "We are in the business of building projects. But these opportunities had closed by 1987, by which time plutonium production had ceased and decisions had been made not to import nuclear wastes from out of state. When a visiting group of bomb survivors from Japan asked them to reconsider, the principal responded, We did not start that war, and abruptly walked out of the room. I would like to preface this article by saying that I dont think Ive ever been known for my style, so take that as you will. 85, No. (732)548-0013/0015. The browser or device you are using is out of date. However, we are having a little trouble selling that dam. The town of Richland has stubbornly stuck to their pride in this symbol. The money and manpower applied to the waste problem at Hanford did not initially produce encouraging results, and there were charges of gross inefficiency, excess spending, and inadequate technology. They generally did not regard nuclear wastes as a desirable icon for local towns (although they did see "remediation" of those wastes as an economic opportunity). (Reproduced in Grossman, "Hanford," PNQ 85:1, p.8. "The West is the last economic frontier. In light of the harm done by dams to fisheries along the Columbia, or by radioactive releases from Hanford to nearby ecosystems, there emerged among people in the Pacific Northwest a sense that efforts to industrialize and militarize the Columbia had been somewhat shortsighted, even a little arrogant, in their confidence in the blessings that science and industry could wring from nature. They tucked their children into bed at night inhandsome homes with green lawns on streets named for brilliant engineers Goethals Drive, Jadwin Avenue.. Really what difference does is make? Richland Bomber Football April 29, 2023 Respect All Fear None Next Game: Friday, September 1, 2023 Richland Bombers Neil F. Lampson Stadium, Kennewick 7:00PM Southridge Suns Stadium Directions Last Five Meetings News/Media History v. Suns Bomber Football In the News bomberfootball.org: 2023 Spring Calendar 2023 Season News Tuesday, May 23, 2023 We really used our best and brightest to unlock the secrets of the atom that, in a way, still hold the world hostage to this incredible terror., But for Pierard, a 1959 local graduate with cloudy blue eyes and a long gray ponytail, the Bombers R-Cloud is an inspiring reminder of a time when Richland, in his mind, saved the world. During the 1950s Richland's annual summer festivalthe equivalent of Seattle's Seafairwas called Atomic Frontier Days. Hanford and the Bomb: An Oral History of World War II, Legend and Legacy: Fifty Years of Defense Production at the Hanford Site, n the Home Front: The Cold War Legacy of the Hanford Nuclear Site, River of Life, Channel of Death: Fish and Dams on the Lower Snake, Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, University of Washington. A World. (At roughly the same time, it began releasing previously classified documents that detailed the great extent of pollution in earlier years.) Richland High School has all of those qualities and maybe even has some better qualities that make it stand out from the crowd. We have thousands of custom Richland High School Bombers t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jerseys, bags, backpacks, and other accessories in stock. The new symbol of the football team, the Richland Bombers, became the mushroom cloud. 10 Richland bombers Logos ranked in order of popularity and relevancy. I finally understand that heartbreak has a sound. After more than five decades of harnessing the river by building dams and dredging its bottom, of using it to cool atomic reactors and carry away radioactive wastes, it increasingly seemed like a good idea to try to leave the Columbia alone. Would sell my soul for a drink at Residuals right now, Location: 8472 Melrose Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90069, Location: 916 S San Fernando Blvd. As the Tri-Cities looked to the future, they gave new attention to the Columbia River. Petersen also wrote River of Life, Channel of Death: Fish and Dams on the Lower Snake (Lewiston, ID: Confluence Press, 1995).] I forget what is and only know what used to be. Class of '92 in '22 ~ 30 Year Reunion ~ August 5, 6, & 7, 2022, Class of '66 in '22 ~ 56 Year Reunion ~ August 26 and 27, 2022, Class of '67 in '22 ~ 55 Year Reunion ~ September 9-10, 2022, Class of '62 in '22 ~ 60 Year Reunion ~ September 9, 10, 11, 2022, Class of '72 in '22 ~ 50 Year Reunion ~ September 16-17, 2022, Class of '65 in '22 ~ 76th Birthday Party ~ September 16, 17, 18, 2022, 50 Year (postponed twice) Reunion and 70th Birthday Bash, Spudnuts in Richland, ~ better than donuts ~ click to see it on YouTube. For those who dont know, they are the Richland Bombers, with a logo consisting of an R with a mushroom cloud behind it. The Richland High School Store allows you to customize Bombers clothing and merch. At times I tried to keep up with the trends but most of the time I found that I was always late to them. According to one estimate from the early 1960s, 80% of the 28,500 jobs in the Tri-Cities were "indirectly or directly dependent on Hanford activities." Here in Clark County, weve got our fair share of interesting high school mascots (i.e. People who may not have agreed with their government. Richland High senior Nonoka Koga, a Japanese exchange student, was surprised by the school's mushroom cloud logo, which is linked to Hanford's role in producing an atomic bomb dropped on her. When I see that, I see that vaporized shadow in the cement and I see those melted baby bottles and melted tricycles. More than 40,000 adults returned there to spawn [in 1993]making it the healthiest spawning area on the Columbia." Manhattan Project Medal (right) (Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy). A symbol representing that kind of destruction is not a proper mascot for a public high school; also, it is insensitive and demaning towards the civilians that died in Japan from the nuclear bombs that were dropped. Lovecrafts mad, blind, idiot god Azathoth. No doubt encouraged by the presence of Hanford, Tri-City interests argued for dams on the grounds of military preparedness. The Bombers have 115 players on their Basketball all-time roster. It seemed as if the region's economic future was assured. The Manhattan Project brought scientists, engineers and those to support them to the Tri-Cities. So long as nuclear wastes were stored in tanks and soils beneath the Hanford reservation, the dam could not be built because it would disturb the water table and the underground wastes, and flood sensitive portions of the Hanford reserve. [On Richland's past see John M. Findlay, "Atomic Frontier Days: Richland, Washington, and the Modern American West," Journal of the West 34 (July 1995): 32-41. "You can't overstate the demoralizing aspect of taking away high technology activities and asking us to become paper-pushers and janitors," one engineer explained. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, Fruit of the Loom Men's 5oz Cotton T-Shirt, JERZEES Unisex 50/50 NuBlend 8oz Crewneck Sweatshirt, JERZEES Unisex 8oz NuBlend Hooded Sweatshirt, Fanthread Women's Origin Crew Sweatshirt, Fanthread Men's Origin Hooded Sweatshirt, Fanthread Men's Color Block Hooded Sweatshirt. To sign up, email glorie@theodysseyonline.com. Peace activists both local and Japanese, have made suggestions that it might be insensitive to celebrate such an act of destruction: Some students did try to change the high school emblem in the sixties, at the height of Vietnam-era protests. Richland has won three state championships in boys' basketball, most recently in 1979, a team led on the floor by Mark Hoke, Bob Kennedy, and Brian Kellerman. The school's logo is a mushroom cloud. It had failed to become a major center for nuclear power plants, nuclear research, or the importation of nuclear wastes. However, in the 1950s the people residing in the vicinity of Hanford began pushing to have their voices heard, too. One night, at a bridge club, I asked the women what their husbands did and did not tell them about workplace accidents. It produced only for military and not civilian purposes. (Courtesy Tri-Cities Herald). Hungary Calls For Ukraine CeasefireWashington FURIOUS! How could anybody be?. Communities after 1980 were less willing to be identified with the atom, in large part because nuclear power was now viewed as a quite problematicperhaps even obsoletetechnology that had presented serious public health and environmental risks and created enormous amounts of toxic and radioactive waste. Happy finals week! I certainly dont run around carrying a picket sign saying, Down with the cloud! Qualheim said. Yet the economy of Hanford and the Tri-Cities (if not the environmental quality) again seemed secure, fifty years after the atomic age, and forty-five years after the Cold War, had arrived in Washington. Oh no, he chuckled. ), Ice Harbor Dam (right). [One introduction to wartime Hanford is S. L. Sanger, Hanford and the Bomb: An Oral History of World War II (Seattle:Living History Press, 1989). Hagley Museum and Library.). Richland city seal in 1958 (left). In 2019, "Archie" a B-17 Ball Turret Gunner was named the first-ever character mascot at Richland High School.
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