By Cindy Kranz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

NORTH BEND - A decision to rename a new high school has angered hundreds of residents who want the Three Rivers School Board to reverse itself.

Taylor High School was named after a community icon 76 years ago, but the school board decided in January that if voters approve a Nov. 5 bond issue for a new school, it should be named Three Rivers High School.The Taylor name would remain with the old building, which would become an intermediate school.

THREE RIVERS

About the Three Rivers School District • Serves: Addyston, Cleves, North Bend and Miami Township, Hamilton County. • District enrollment: 2,220; Taylor High School enrollment: 601. • Schools: Taylor High, Three Rivers Middle School, Charles T. Young Elementary, Miami Heights Elementary and Meredith Hitchens Elementary. • Next board meeting: 7:30 p.m. today Taylor High School auditorium, 36 E. Harrison Ave., North Bend.

As a result, community members have organized the Taylor High School Preservation Society, which has about 700 members. Members will attend today's school board meeting to argue their case.

"Our objection is based on tradition and the fact that there is no compelling reason to (change the name)," said Jerry Schwartz, chair of the society and a 1950 Taylor graduate.

"The man it was named for was a community icon for many, many years," Mr. Schwartz said. "He was instrumental in getting the school built, literally. ... It was warranted to name the school after him at the time, and it's not warranted to change it now."

The Cleves businessman said the group isn't necessarily opposed to the bond issue, but the name change could jeopardize it.

The bond issue for 5.74 mills would raise $31.5 million for a new high school, bus garage and renovations to other schools buildings, including handicapped accessibility.

As other Ohio districts begin to build new schools with help from the Ohio School Facilities Commission, they face similar dilemmas in deciding on building names.

Cleveland board members, for example, are discussing and changing school names as they embark on a 10-year, $1 billion school construction project through the commission to build four schools, close 14 and replace or renovate 106 others.

Three Rivers is considered a property-rich district, so it isn't eligible for commission money for several years.

Taylor High School, built in the shape of a T in 1926, was named for Winfred W. Taylor, a civic leader in North Bend for 50 years. In 1921, he was instrumental in bringing about the merger of the new Cleves-North Bend School District. He was the first board president of the district and also was on the Hamilton County Board of Education for 24 years.

The Ford dealer died in 1955.

Three Rivers Board President Danny Stacy said because Mr. Taylor was so involved with the construction of Taylor High School, it felt it was honoring him by leaving his name on the old building.

"The thought of the board, at the time, was if we move that name to the new location, we're going to have people upset with us," said Mr. Stacy, a 1971 Taylor graduate. "We're not changing the name of Taylor. It is staying with the building it was given to. We thought out of respect to him, out of respect to the building, the name should stay with that building. We in no way set out to offend or hurt anyone or make anyone angry."

The board is willing to talk with the community and try to come to some agreement, Mr. Stacy said.

"We welcome our community to give us input," he said. "We're not trying to be dictators."

Some districts are steering away from naming schools after community icons.

In Columbiana, near Youngstown, a new high school was simply named Columbiana High School. Some residents wanted to name the building for native son Harvey S. Firestone, founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., but a survey showed residents were overwhelmingly in favor of keeping a generic name.

E-mail ckranz@enquirer.com