PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMER 12, 1986. WHITE'Y FREE PRESS Publlshed overy Wednesday DOUG ANDERSON w hitby By 677209 Ontario hIc. Pubilsher r-%~r-~ L ~ -~_Phono: 668.6111 7/~4~ P I~ ~ lh ~ TheMAURICE PIFHER W '~ The Free Pres Building KEN HATHAWAY 131 Brock Street North detanMngr VOICE 0F THE COUNTY TOWN P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. AdrtlnMage The only Whitby newsaper independenîly owned and operatcd by Wiîitby remidients for Whitby residents New name may benefit Whitby hospital What's ln a namne? Obviously a great deal, as Dr. J.O. Ruddy Hospital board members have decided to change the namne of that Institution. And for good reasons should that new name as proposed be the Whitby General Hospital. There is nothing wrong with the existing name which was bastowed out of gratitude after the hospital was opened 16 yaars ago- when the original name was the WhItby General Hospital. But the perception was that the hospital may have been bast or unknown beside other hospitals ln othercommunities of close proximity. Those other hoapitals can be identified with thair communities -Oshawa Generai Hospital, Ajax & Pickering Generai Hospital- to name those near Whltby and often used by Whitby residents. WIth cointinued growth that has almost con- solidated the communities, Identity has becoma Important as-municipalities seak to preserve their lndiv Iduality. That 1i'ndividuality is made up of its people and Its Institutions. The perception may be, among new residenta, that thay wish to attach themselvas to the com- munlty ln which they have iocated. That's mada easier when the assential Institutions are easily identifiad, eithar by custom, which involves a longer period of time, or association by name. Residenta have long idantified the four corners, at Dundas and Brock, as the hub and the down- town as the heart of Whitby. The adoption of a sacondary plan, now being reviewed, wiii halp to leash development ln a direction which will preserve the downtown heritage. By comparison, the hospital is ln adolescence, raady for growth as tha Whitby community con- tinues to grow. Some board mambera and resîdents may argue that the name should not be changad once it has been affixed to the building, even though it Is the original name. But a name change ln these teen years won't hurt and cause disruption sinca the naw name relates no confusion. The naw name la one theaedifice and Its community users can grow No sooner do we remnember the men end women who servad our country during wartime, with Nov, il ceremony and red poppy, than thoughts of another ramamnbrance, accompaniad by the red and green, corne to mInd. That jovial fellow with the red suit and white whickJers wili be soon making an appearance here arnd therein Whitby as mid-November laun- chas the Christmas season for local merchants. old with. "It's a positive atep In the growth of the hospital ln' a fast-growing regiori," Jim Miller, the hospital's executive diractor, has ramnarked. Dr. J.O. Ruddy will not be forgotten as the one Who had Most to do with tha establishment of the hospital. An area within the hospital wili be dedicated to hia memory. If Dr. Ruddy wanted a hoapital for Whitby, ha would Most certainiy want it known and used by reaidents of the communitY- aven If that meant a nama change which would ensure It is hera and Is Whitby's own. Santa will be In the Whtby mail, at Dundas and Thickson, this Saturday atternoon and the foilowing Friday night ha'Il arrive downtown for a visit. He can be found both at the mail and ln hia downtown workshop until the big day. Give a cheery hello whle visiting, and suppor. ing Whitby's marchants, who thernselves provide 50 much support to cornmunity avents and organ izations. Letter wo the editor To the Editor: Letter to Mr. J.P. Holowaty, Principal, St. John the Evangelist School, Whitby, Ontario. Re proposed changes in transportation prac- tices of the Durham Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board Dear Mr. Holowaty: .Uhank you for your letter of Oct. 29, 1986. With respect to the con- tenta contained therein, I offer the following comments: As h taxpayer, I share the concern about rising costs for the operation of our school board. I applaud the effort and initiative of our board representatives in examining every avenue to reduce and control expenses. I arn however alarxned at the mnanner in which the transportation commit- tee have formulated their -proposai to redesignate the neigh- borhood inr which my family lives as a non- transporting area. I find it unacceptabie that a committee which has been deliberating for almost 1/ years have now requested "al commenta and concerns with respect to this proposai should be received at school not later than Wedneaday, November 12, 1986". As far as I know, iittie or no effort has been made by the committee to hoid public information forums on this, an ob- viously very sensitive issue. I arn sure that many of the parents of students whom mîght be affected would welcome such an opportunityto provide , . additional commenta. In this regard, I would be pleased to co-ordinate arrangements for a public meeting which 1 suggest should be held in the very near future in a convenient and neutral location in downtown Whitby. In closing, it is my desire bo meet with the transportation commit- tee as soon as possible to discuss my offer as well as to review several shortcomings which I SeeP. 6 "In the old days we only needed one portable!" The Yule season appro aches Why no public meetig0 n edesgnto Policy The Whitby Free Press la -always looklng for Jettera to the editor and welcomes Jettera on any Issues that concern Its readers. While the paper reserves the rlght to reject or edit any Jettera for publication, a letter that lo short and to the point la moost likely te appear on our editorial page i- tact. Mthough flot al lasues can be addressed hi, a short letter, the beat la one of about 300 words or legs. Ai lJettera 10 the editor must be igned and accompanled by a phone nunibeî' for the editor'. Information. Lettera may be sent te: The Editor, Whltby Free Presa, 131 Brock Steet Nor- thi, Wliltby, Ont., LIN 551.