City Council declines to name school facility for John Daddona, honors Robert Eagle with arts wing instead

The City Council took up two separate renaming requests for the educational facility at 617 Lexington St. at its Aug. 3 meeting. 

Currently, 617 Lexington St. houses the Valor School, the Dual Language School, and the school district’s central office. Plans are underway to use the campus for a myriad of other purposes, including a public preschool and a community center.

The council’s Ordinances and Rules Committee declined one request from Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy to name the whole campus for the late superintendent John Daddona, and approved a request from Ward 7 Councilor Paul S. Katz to name its west wing for longtime educator Robert “Bob” Eagle. 

McCarthy had originally requested that Northeast Elementary School be renamed in honor of Daddona. After outcry from the Northeast community at a School Committee public hearing, the mayor revised her request and asked that Daddona’s name be given to 617 Lexington St., as proposed by a resident during the initial public hearing about renaming Northeast.

Councilor-at-Large Emma Tzioumis paid close attention to the Northeast community’s reaction, and thought Daddona’s name shouldn’t be on the elementary school or 617 Lexington St. She said the former high school is a “building in flux,” referring to changes made since Waltham High School moved to its new location, and it is not a good time to spend money on signage that might change in the near future. 

Eventually, the Ordinances and Rules Committee voted to place the request to rename Northeast on file and closed out the dispute. The request to rename 617 Lexington St. was denied. Tzioumis suggested the city look for a different, more inclusive way to recognize Daddona and other educators going forward, rather than naming buildings. 

A different approach for a different name

However, the Ordinances and Rules Committee did approve a separate request from Katz to rename the west wing of 617 Lexington St. after Bob Eagle, a 92-year-old retired educator for Waltham Public Schools. 

The west wing houses the Reagle Theatre, a dance studio and art classrooms. The renaming will not affect the Dual Language School or the Valor School, whose campuses are in different parts of the building. 

Katz described Eagle as the driving force behind the Reagle Theatre’s high-quality performances since its earliest days in 1969. Eagle was also a nearly 50-year teacher in Waltham.

The request does not rename the theatre or the whole building. Instead, it designates the broader west section of the facility as an arts complex named for Eagle. 

For now, Daddona’s name will not be honored with any school building. However, the councilors asked the School Committee to draft a new proposal for a possible tribute to the late educator.