Roanoke middle school renamed for Fishwick

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The renaming of Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Roanoke has made the national news:

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ7) Stonewall Jackson Middle School is no more. The board voted to change the school named after the Confederate General.

Multiple board members talked about how difficult of a decision this was, but in the end, they voted 6-1 to rename Stonewall Jackson Middle School.
Annette Lewis, School Board Chair, said, "I have gone back and forth and back and forth and back and forth."

It's a decision that didn't come lightly. Discussions started in September 2017 after the violence in Charlottesville.

"Many of us were deliberating even until this morning as to what decision we would make," said Lewis.

The sign is already down in front of the school. Board member Bill Hopkins was the only person to vote against renaming Stonewall Jackson.

Bill Hopkins, Roanoke City School Board Member, said, "I thought Jackson was worthy of the honor. He was a soldier, a great soldier."

After that vote, he suggested renaming the school for John P. Fishwick.
He is a graduate of the school who grew up in southeast. Fishwick attended Roanoke College and Harvard Law School -- eventually becoming the president of Norfolk and Western.

--Rick Morrison
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