Two local groups are working on an effort to honor two great men. One has a national holiday; the other has been a local luminary in education for decades.
Sue Jeffers is heading up a committee lobbying to rename Ash Street as "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard," while Maggie Murphy's group is leading the charge to change the name of Marguerite Street to "Gene Hinton Drive" in honor of the longtime community leader and educator.
A few years ago, there was some scuttlebutt about renaming a street in honor of legendary football coach and Blytheville native Fred Akers, though that hasn't materialized.
Renaming streets is a way of celebrating local greatness, honoring remarkable individuals who have made a major impact on the community or society as a whole.
In Osceola, the former Pecan Street was renamed Carthon Street in honor of Maurice Carthon, the former Osceola Seminole who went on to star and coach in the NFL.
In the town of Wilson, a street is named for NFL Hall of Fame lineman Cortez Kennedy that runs in front of the town square.
So naming a street in honor of some deserving individual wouldn't be that out of the ordinary in Mississippi County.
In a way, the action helps preserve some of Blytheville's rich history, at least on some level.
But who merits such a prestigious honor?
There are a number of folks who could make a strong case for having their name on a street sign.
Akers is one of them, in my opinion. He was born in Blytheville, starred at the University of Arkansas as a running back, kicker and punter and, of course, he earned Hall of Fame prominence while coaching the University of Texas from 1977-1986.
If local leaders do entertain the aforementioned street name changes, maybe they will also consider a few others, too.
It would be nice to see "George Hamilton Drive" as part of a major thoroughfare some day. The man with the everlasting golden tan was raised right here in Blytheville.
"It's where I will be buried, and it's where I come from," the Hollywood icon told the Commercial Appeal a few years back. "I buried my mother there, my brother there, my grandfather, my grandmother -- it's the very earth where I'm going to be."
One would be hard-pressed to find a Blytheville native with a more impressive resume than that of Hamilton.
What about naming a street after famous musicians Junior Walker or Dee Clark, who were both born in Blytheville? Or perhaps they could consider adding "the home of" so-and-so at the entrances to Blytheville as some towns do as a way to display a little community pride over the past.
Certainly, those deserving of the street name honor aren't limited to achieving national acclaim.
There are plenty of locals who could make an argument for the recognition. Some have worked behind the scenes, others have been at the forefront.
For years, the Echols family has been a vital part of the community through the Blytheville Community Samaritan Ministries, an organization with a number of programs that help the needy in Blytheville.
Maybe, consider someone who has won the Chamber's distinguished Lifetime Community Achievement Award, a list that includes Emmanuel Lofton, Jerry Sims, David King, Mac Williams, Mary Gay Shipley, Dale Briggs, Mason Day and Bo Huffman.
How about Tim Rogers and his family, who have made a name for themselves in the music world and deserve to be on anyone's short list for any type of recognition.
Former Blytheville athletic director Bill Mayo could be another to consider, after being inducted into the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame last year.
I'm sure those names are just the tip of the iceberg. It wouldn't take long to find names for a large portion of the streets in Blytheville. One could even get creative and trumpet our rich history in timber, cotton and steel.
Frankly, I don't know the history of any current street names, but one would think those with generic names would be fair game to change, if that ever happens. Of course, it could be that leaders feel changing a street name may set a precedent they don't want to set and make it difficult to turn down another request in the future. It's hard to tell the thought process of politicians at times.
If nothing else, maybe the proposals to rename Ash and Marguerite will generate a discussion of honoring influential individuals from this area and giving them some well-deserved recognition.
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com