In Tewksbury, no nickname outcry
By Mike Lipka | January 4, 2007 | The Boston Globe
Last month, the Natick School Committee began discussing the possibility of changing the school's nickname—the Redmen—because of its potential to offend Native Americans. But in Tewksbury, where teams use the same nickname, there has been no such outcry, and athletic director Bob Aylward says the moniker evokes only pride, and he does not expect anything similar in his town.
"Nobody seems to be offended," Aylward said. "There's always a chance, I suppose, for anything, but as far as any kind of outcry in the community, there isn't any of that."
"It's been what we've used here for all these years," he said, "and we're quite proud of it."
Aylward said Tewksbury has called its teams the Redmen since at least 1934. The name came from the Wamesit tribe, which is also the namesake for the section of town northwest of Tewksbury Center. In Wamesit, along Route 38, there is a sculpture of a Wamesit Indian.
Those in Natick pushing for the change would likely be more upset in Tewksbury. Natick does not use a mascot, but in Tewksbury, a student occasionally dresses as a Native American in full headdress.
Nick Ianetta, the senior quarterback for Tewksbury's football team this past season, said the only name-related controversy he has heard at school involved the "men" part of the name, as some female athletes felt there should be a more gender-neutral term used to describe the teams.
"Personally, I've never heard the term 'Redmen' used in a disrespectful way," Ianetta said. "For me, it's always been a source of pride and tradition."
Mike Lipka can be reached at mlipka@globe.com.