A small group of Missouri students have raised the issue that Brady Commons should not be named after T.A. Brady.

In 1966, the University Board of Curators ratified the following resolution:

“Thomas A. Brady served the University of Missouri for thirty-eight years as instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, vice president, and dean. Thomas Brady distinguished himself in his chosen field both as a teacher and a scholar. Thomas A. Brady brought distinction and honor to the University by being the first University faculty member ever chosen as a Guggenheim Fellow. Near the end of World War II, Thomas A. Brady made a major contribution to American higher education through his study of the educational needs of the returning veteran and his plans for meeting those needs in Missouri and elsewhere. Thomas A. Brady held an abiding faith in the dignity and personal worth of each individual and made this faith operational in the daily life of our students through the student personal services, which he organized, developed and supervised. Therefore, be it resolved that the Curators of the University of Missouri do hereby recognize the long and distinguished service that Thomas A Brady rendered to the University and especially to its students by naming the building now known as the Student Commons the THOMAS A. BRADY COMMONS in testimony of our esteem and gratitude for his devoted service. "

Until this debate, I wasn't really aware of who Mr. Brady was or why he had a building named after him. I don't get GCB either or why someone came up with that classic name.

This group has protested Mr. Brady's apparent efforts to identify and remove homosexuals from the student population in the 1940s.

I guess I have a problem with this for a few reasons. First, you can't look at history in a vacuum. Today, it would be considered scandalous to engage in this activity. At that time, homosexuality was far out of the social mainstream and in many ways still is. Gay rights groups congratulate themselves on their progress to browbeat America into cheering them on, then turn around and want to project contemporary opinion 60 years into the past.

Second, Mr. Brady wasn't honored for his efforts regarding homosexuality. He was honored for his contributions to academics.

Finally, there are many historical figures who had values and acts that would be considered unimaginable today. Take Thomas Jefferson, for example. His concept of the perfect design of a university is captured by Missouri's Quadrangle. It is horseshoe shaped, symbolizing knowledge flowing out of the open end. Moreover, his original tombstone which he personally designed rests on the Quad. Yet, he was a slave owner.

How will Mizzou's leadership react to this? Academia leads the fight in the tolerance/diversity movement, which is designed to cleanse actions, speech and policies to placate the last offended person.

As such, I'm not confident that the University is capable of standing up to political correctness. On the other hand, pressure needs to be applied to see that reason rules the day.

Contact the Board of Curators.