Whether people know where the name for Erie’s Harding Elementary School came from, many have an attachment to it because they have attended the school, worked in it or lived in its neighborhood.
About 30 people participated in a Dec. 4 public information meeting about renaming the building for John Boyd. While a majority of those in attendance appeared to prefer to keep the Harding name, they were at least open to discussing how to honor Boyd, said Jay Breneman, president of the Erie School Board.
Breneman called the meeting “an exceptional public session” and said it drew a mix of Harding parents, students, educators, administrators and neighbors, past and present. He said the presentation about renaming the school to celebrate “an alumnus of Erie public schools” was well received and the dialogue was positive, even if not everyone supports a change from Harding Elementary School to John Boyd Elementary School.
Erie’s Harding Elementary School could have its name changed from that of a president born in Ohio to a former student who flew fighter jets and helped design aircraft.
The name change was proposed by retired Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy social studies teacher Brian Lasher in 2024. The Erie School Board in December 2024 approved the formation of a naming committee to evaluate the proposal. However, Breneman said creation of the committee was delayed due to the hiring of a new schools superintendent in the first half of 2025 and work will now begin to put the group together.
Previous: New name proposed for Erie’s Harding Elementary School
A few people have commented recently on Harding’s Facebook page questioning the need for a name change or saying they didn’t want one or pointing out that the library at Harding, 820 Lincoln Ave., is already named for Boyd.
Who were Boyd and Harding?
Boyd lived on Lincoln Avenue and attended Harding School. Later, as a U.S. Air Force lieutenant, he flew fighter jets during the Korean War and began a lifelong study of air combat tactics and fighter jet design. Eventually rising to the rank of colonel, he died in 1997 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Harding School was named for Warren G. Harding, an Ohio native who served as president of the United States from 1921 until his death in 1923. The building was constructed at West Eighth Street and Lincoln Avenue in 1924 and opened in 1925.
What’s next?
Anyone who missed the Dec. 4 public information session about the renaming can submit their thoughts or concerns online or in writing to the School Board at the district administration building, 1910 Sassafras St.
Members of the community can also now indicate their interest in serving on the naming committee that will study the proposal. The committee will be led by a School Board member and could include students, district employees and community members from the Harding neighborhood. The committee will evaluate the renaming request, gather community input and report back to the board.
Breneman said he hopes to have the committee together, along with details of its work and a timeline, in January. The group would eventually make a recommendation to the School Board. Breneman said the committee could come up with a number of options that do or don’t include renaming Harding.
No matter the outcome, he said, this is a chance for the school’s students and the community to learn the history of Harding’s name, how school names were picked in the past and are chosen today, and about Boyd.
“This is a learning opportunity to celebrate the Harding community and a historic Erieite,” Breneman said.
Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Harding School name change to John Boyd under consideration