I agree. Thanks John.

1. Shockley proposed that individuals with IQs below 100 be paid to undergo voluntary sterilization.

2. Shockley explained that his goal was "the application of scientific ingenuity to the solution of human problems (for "problems" see Blacks).

3. Shockley has been described as a racist, white supremacist, and scientific racist. Eugenics advocate Ernst Mayr, in a letter to Francis Crick, wrote: "If I may summarize my own viewpoint, it is that positive eugenics is of great importance for the future of mankind and that all roadblocks must be removed that stand in the way of intensifying research in this area. Shockley with his racist views is unfortunately the worst roadblock at this time, at least in this country; hence, his sharp rejection by some of us who are very much in favor of positive eugenics. I do hope I have been able to shed light on our side of the argument."

4. Edgar G. Epps argued that "William Shockley's position lends itself to racist interpretations". Judith M. Scully called him "William Shockley, the notorious eugenicist and scientific racist". Daniel J. Kevles mentioned that Shockley "invited ridicule as a racist and biological ignoramus".

5. By the time of his death he was almost completely estranged from most of his friends and family, except his wife. His children are reported to have learned of his death only through the print media.

Shockley’s life was, in many ways, a tragic failure. His intelligence was matched only by his aggressive competitiveness and, later in life, by severe paranoia. Alienating his family, friends and colleagues, he finally turned his back on physics only to become an eccentric firebrand - a scientific pariah who tried to use his credentials as a Nobel Laureate in order to promulgate racist theories of population control and eugenics.

This is who we want to name a park after?

I still say "Take the land, call it Shockley Harmony Park" and let the name Shockley fade till its just called "Harmony Park".

any coverage of last nites meeting at ARD? anyone? journal? anyone? oh that's right it'll have to wait until the sunday edition...yesterdays news this weekend

I was at the meeting last night. It was divided about 60% against the name & 40% for the name when it was time for public comments. I didn't stay for the comments from the board except for Ainsleigh who seemed to be playing politics & pandering to the lowest common denominator by running in verbal circles. I think that their hands are tied when it comes to the name because they were stupid enough to take the deal as is. The board said that the property is in the publics hands now. In my opinion we should re-neg on the name & let the people of Auburn decide what it's going to be.

When at least half of the people have a problem with the name I feel that it should be changed. If not... I will vote for other folks to be on the board next election. They seem to have stopped working for the people & are serving political interests so as not to upset anyone with money. At least that's how it sounded last night.

Two women from the Unitarian church stood up spoke against the name & the board was more concerned with who they represented than with what they had to say. It sounded as though the board was worried they might upset a big wig from that church rather than the fact that the church was against the name.

Some folks were saying that we should just move on & let the name remain as it is so that when kids ask about the name we can all take time to explain how terrible racism is. In that case why don't we call it "Japanese Internment Camp" Park? Then we could explain what happened in this state in WWII. I think a better precedent would be tell our kids that we said no to racists & wouldn't' allow ourselves to get pushed around by bigots. That would be a much more noble cause.

Again, Shockley is in great company when it came to these beliefs. Margaret Sanger founded Planned Parenthood of America, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Henry Ford, Charles Lind berg, pre-1960's Democratic Party, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Medical Association and the National Research Council.

If you are willing to throw out all of Shockley's accomplishments, then you have to be willing to do the same for all the others.

Or maybe some of you are as bigoted as Shockley, just in a different leaning.

I was not at the meeting but want to comment on one point of BirchBricker's account of it, and also to a recent article in the Journal. It is the Social Action Committee of the local Unitarian Universalist church that is taking the stand against the name, not the entire congregation. I know this sounds like splitting hairs, but there is a difference. Due to time constraints, the issue was not brought before the entire congregation as must be done for the church to advocate for or against something. Had there been a healthy discussion within the church, I'm not sure which way it would have gone. There are members (I am not the only one) who agree with John's letter, that ARD should take this gift of green space regardless of the name stipulation, and let William Shockley and his racist beliefs return to obscurity.

BiBr--thanks for the update...lets see what the aj take is this weekend, or next week, whenever?

As mjtmjtmjt says, behind many great men, there are dark thoughts. Should we rename Auburn's Lincoln Street because the great man was a slave-owner? If A statue was proposed for Winston Churchill whose trenchant will saved Europe from Nazism, BrichBricker would haul out this views on empire and denigrate him too; and so it goes. Kennedy, King etc etc would all fall to the righteousness of BirchBricker's high moral axe. Yet all of them left more profound marks on this world than we can ever expect to do.

Peacemaker: Shockley Harmony Park.... put the sign up and plant a big bush in front of the word Shockley.

The answer is easy.

Birch, ARD has been catering to people with money for a long time, that's why they approved the dog park memorializing Ashley Harris. She had a dark side too, but she didn't invent a transistor, fight a war, make any large charitable contributions or donate property to the community. What the foundation did do is take a nice park away from the children who palyed team sports and gave it to the dogs. I think they need to be consistant. If they are not going to adopt the Shockley name, then they need to remove Ashley's name from the dog park, and vice versa. I didn't vote for any of the current board members the last time because,as you said, they have stopped working for the people.

The gift of land and cash from Mrs. Shockley has been accepted. The stipulations were agreed upon by acceptance of the gift. Name the park for William Shockley, as agreed upon, and forget about it.

Otherwise, ARD should give back the land and cash to the Shockley Trust and petition Placer County to change the name of Shockley Road to something else.

SisJon: You're giving the same lame argument that was given by fearmongers last night. I have never cried for anything past to be changed. The park is in formation & I believe that being a public park the public should have some say in it's naming. Lincoln Way is already named... no one has said anything about that. Don't be ridiculous! No one is coming to get anything. Isn't Lincoln Way named for Lincoln, Nebraska anyways?

Analyst: The same thing. The dog park has been named. You should have thought of that while it was in the process of being named. I agree with you about the board members.

Greg: I'm sure the name will go on & over time nobody will even remember who Shockley even is. I had no idea before the Journal did a paper on it. I would like it changed but, let's face it, it probably won't happen. Life will go on.

I do think would be funny is some other newspaper were to get a hold of this story & proceeded to tell others that Auburn named a park after a known racist... hmmm.... we could become a tourist spot for neo-Nazi's, white separatists & the like. Hey, to pacify SisJon's fears, let's rename Auburn "Hitlerville". I mean... let's just embrace the whole thing & go for it! Finally put ourselves on the map.

Analyst: The Dog park was named for Ashley because she loved dogs and her mother was one of the forces behind its creation. No matter what you think you know, you have no clue how or why she died---so shut up.---get over it already! You seem like a very bitter person.

whatisay: Some people never have anything good or kind to say... ignore them. They're just trolls who just feign attempts at evoking an emotional response from someone.

See: http://www.flayme.com/troll

Birch,

I'm not too sure people will forget who Shockley is now that he's been thoroughly and rightly exposed to the masses.

I know you're kidding about "Hitlerville", but I also hope some little old lady in Auburn, NY realizes it as well. You know, the whole world wide web thing.

Birch, A lot of people had issues with naming Ashley Park at the time it was being developed, I didn't just think of it, check the archives. And why don't you have an issue with the naming of Ashley dog park yet you have an issue with the naming of Shockley park. My point is why is ARD and you just now concerned about a name with a negative past when it didn't seem to be an issue with them with the Ashley dog park? If they have a park named after Ashley then they should name the park after Shockley. You're being hypocritical in your moral stance. And for the record, you are right up there with "never having anything good or kind to say..." but you claim to be a christian, I don't.

whatisay, I know exactly how and why Ashley died, the dog park was named for Ashley because her mother and grandmother have money. But......shhhhhhh, we wouldn't want anyone to know the truth now would we.

Greg: We'll all call it "H-Town" in time.

Whatisay: See?

Analyst: great comparison between a troubled young woman and a racist mad scientist genious---yeah, I get the analogy...NOT! You really should have followed the advice in my previous post.........EWWWWWW... ICKY!

I think 0ld_Prospector has the best idea, Shockley Harmony Park. The space needs to be preserved, otherwise it will just be developed. Shockley had a bad personality and horrible views, but they were views, not actions. There are plenty of opportunities to distance the park from those ideas, through plaques, or art work, dedications on benches, events held at the park in support of diversity...it could be an opportunity to display how far we've come from those beliefs. Paving over them would be a mistake, a wasted opportunity, and frankly, it's a little late to make your point to Shockley. Better to make the point about how wrong those ideas were to the people who will use the park in the future.

I also think the AJ continues to go after Ansleigh and this was just another attempt to manufacture controversy in his regard. I'm thisclose to discontinuing even reading this site any more, it's like a tabloid sometimes, and they are clearly pro- big development of the area. I wish the Sentinel was a daily.

Analyst, using Ashley to make your point was below the belt and uncalled for. She was someones baby girl, child, grandchild etc. Her family knows how she died as well and it doesn diminish their love for her, only makes them sadder that they weren't able to change things. Being behind an faux name shouldn't be a free ticket to be completely insensitive and disrespectful. You should be ashamed.

Did you watch T.V. this week, travel on an airplane lately, or make a phone call? You should thank Shockley. Are you on the computer right now? This is because of Shockley. In fact every transistor that powers the electronic age, the tens of millions now in our homes and offices, in our computers, telephones, watches, ovens, airplanes, CAT scan equipment, cars, fax machines, cameras, and spaceships, is a descendant of Shockley's junction transistor. William Shockley basically started Silicon Valley. Shockley is known as the founder of the Valley's first semiconductor company.

The streets are apparently named after another Shockley. William H. was the momsters father and a land spectulator. who purchased the land in the first place. The requirements are that the the park be named after William B. Schockley, a name that stills makes people upset.

kittyv, I have to disagree with "Shockley had a bad personality and horrible views, but they were views, not actions." His actions caused others to carry on his reseach and spread his racial ideologies. It is spectulated that minority students and maybe the world suffered because a promising new physicist or scientist were denied entry into his programs at Stanford and Cal Poly.

The plight of minorities suffering from econmic oppression, lack of proper nutrition and quality education were never addressed by William B. His research was flawed for those reasons alone, but because he was a Professor Emitrius, he was able to influence the thoughts of those he mentored. Civil Rights were hard fought in the '60s and cultural understanding had much to gain in the '70s, but he worked to stymie it and reverse the trend.

The gains in transitor technology was part of a team effort and William B. was a vaulable asset to this team. He was not the father of the Silicon Valley but his associates were. William left the field to spread his hate.

The decision to accept the terms came with the donation and "Accepting the gift Honors the Giver" which was his wife. There are avenues to change or alter the name but it looks like for now it is not the most important issue at hand.

Chuxxr - thank you for clarifying that, I wasn't aware of that, obviously I did not have all of the information. He was completely wrong. I hope you know that I in no way condone or would want to further that type of thinking nor would I want to honor Shockley for it, and I don't even care about any contributions, whatever the degree his involvement. What I care about is preserving this land. I am selfish in that regard, in that while I don't want to glorify the man, what I really don't want is to lose the ability to provide a better town for future generations. Do we lose this opportunity by remaining in the past, which we now have no ability to rectify, or do we look to the future, where we can dictate change and set a better example of diversity, in a small way almost righting some of Shockley's wrongs for him? Perhaps that is what we should be demanding of ARD, that they do more in regards to this park to show we are a town who doesn't believe as he did. It's not that I want to deny what this man did and pretend it isn't important, and I'll admit you've provided very troubling information for me in that regard. It's unfortunate about the name of the park. If this goes through, I certainly request efforts are made to emphasize the exact opposite of Shockley's beliefs in signs, plaques, events, etc at the park. Also, if there are avenues to change or alter the name, I feel that this should absolutely be utilized to relieve the controversy, and would question why it hasn't been. Thank you again for the info.

yourstruly, why? Shockley was somebody's baby boy, child, grandchild etc. It didn't diminish their love for him, it only makes them sadder that they weren't able to change things. Why are you and whatisay so defensive? I'm not going to go there with you. Shockley had his deamons, but this is not the time for ARD to put their moral and ethical hats on with regard to naming the park that Shockley GAVE to us. Many people have deamons, but they have also done great things. And many things have been done in their memory. I say let it go and name the land after Shockley.

ChuxxR,

I agree with much of what you had to say about Shockley, but I also agree with that last part...."now it (his moral failings) is not the most important issue at hand".

I also share the view that kittyv has - take the land while it's available because you can't replace it once it's gone.

Analyst, I personally don't care what they name the park, my point to you was that Ashley's family are local people still living, whereas Shockley's parents, wife, kids that won't speak to him, are not here. Without speaking about Ashley's "demons", I can assure you she wasn't out to wipe out a certain group of people, there is no comparison, and your arguement is ridiculous to say the least. You could have said in the first place to make your point that "a lot of people have demons" with out making it personal by talking about Ashley.

youstruly, sorry about the "demons" spelling. I don't care what they name the land either. Don't turn a blind eye on one issue, then stand on your soap box on another.

Kiity, I know you are a person of great understanding. The land wasn't donated by William B. it was donated by his wife. I always felt the land should be accepted and it has been and there is no going back. Why kick the gift horse in the mouth. It would be foolish to lose such an asset.

One thing that was brought up at the meeting was that the name can be changed down the road or even traded. I am not aware of any place to park in the area and it would most likely be used by local residents that can walk there.

There are many avenues to be explored. The dedication ceremony should be interesting.

BTW, please don't leave this site. The journal is doing the same thing as the major papers. They all relish in the sensational.

Most importantly is that you add a reasonable and even handed POV.

Analyst-How do you know Shockley's beliefs didn't effect his family's feelings for him? They are either dead or hated him from what I understand. The comparison between the naming of the dog park after a young local woman because she loved animals can't be compared to naming a park after Shockley. As far as I know, being an animal lover isn't as offensive as being a twisted racist. Don't you think anyone can have "demons"? I imagine Shockley had his share. I say sell the land. I love parks, but really, how many do we need? Let's improve the ones we have.

Chuxxr - I was irritated when I wrote that because I feel the Journal is pro box stores and pro big development and I'm tired of it and their transparent bias. I can just take a break when I've reached my b.s. tolerance maximum threshold. I didn't say it to make you or anyone else have to ask me not to, I'm not like that, I know my contribution is no more important than anyone else. I'm glad you see me as reasonable, and even though you are the only one that's pretty awesome in my book that it's you who thinks so! :)

As for the park, I do hope all avenues get explored, and that at some point the name is changed to something that isn't controversial.

"Virtually ever single prominent American before 1960 would be considered a racist by today’s standards. Some of the changes in racial attitudes since then have been positive. However, reading out everyone who’s views are not in line with our present day thinking is what leads to renaming schools named after Columbus and Washington" Mark Epstein, you may not agree with him, but truth is sometimes hard to digest.

The man (Shockley) was gifted in many ways and notoriously blind in others. He gave the property by willing it to his wife to have her the conduit. Accept the gift as just that.

The name has been around for a long time and until this situation arose, no one had a clue, except for a few garbage diggers that have nothing better to do then besmirch the past actions of individuals that they disagree with.

"you may not agree with him, but truth is sometimes hard to digest." fourgen, what truth are you refering to, the flawed research or the purposely skewed results to get the answers the racist pig wanted?

Birch;

1. Much like Margaret Sanger, eugenicist and founder of Planned Parenthood movement.

2. Again...see Margaret Sanger.

3. Many, many people growing up during that era were "racists" due to their upbringing and environment. The vast majority of them never did anything good with their lives. This man probably saved the lives of as many blacks as whites just in the ending of WWII.

In the end, wasn't it Shockley's wife who donated the land?.... call it Shockley Park.... "MRS" Shockley Park...