Should a Fresno Airport, Named After a Senator Who Was Against Women Voting, be Renamed?

Jan. 26—The Fresno Historic Preservation Commission and city staffers have identified a potentially problematic name on a local airport. As a result, that name could eventually changed by the City Council.

Chandler Executive Airport bares the name of Wilber F. Chandler, the state senator who donated land for the airport.

As a member of the state Assembly in 1911, Chandler voted against giving women the right to vote in California, according to Alicia Gonzales, the city's historic preservation specialist.

The Historic Preservation Commission on Monday voted to approve the findings on 86 properties by city staffers. In addition to the airport, the report also flags the Meux Home Museum for its history. The museum mansion on R and Tulare streets was owned by a volunteer in the Confederate Army.

The flagging of Chandler Executive Airport and the Meux Home as baring potentially problematic names comes after the Historic Preservation Commission was tasked in October with reviewing all of the asset names that belong to the city.

The idea was opposed by Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, who said the city was adopting "cancel culture."

The council's request for the review came about a month after Fresno City College President Carole Goldsmith said the college plans to rename its baseball facility, Euless Park, after learning John Euless was a prominent KKK leader in Fresno in the 1920s.

Monuments around the country have been removed either after a vote or by demonstrators following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Statues of Edward Carmack in Nashville, Tennessee, and Col. Hans Christian Heg in Madison, Wisconsin, are just two examples of monuments that have come down.

Researching the names

City staffers used public documentation, newspaper archives, online ancestry records and other sources to research the properties. They also looked to see if the property names had been previously protested, Gonzales said.

While asking for the review, the City Council also passed a resolution that said, "no city asset shall be named after a cultural or historic figure known to be racist or bigoted."

The commission does not have authority over the names of city buildings and property. It's up to the City Council to decide if the public properties need a new name, according to Mike Sanchez, the assistant director of development and resource management for the city of Fresno.

Chandler Airport

The airport is made up of five buildings built between 1936 and 1977, according to Gonzales.

Chandler and his wife, Edna Marie Goble, donated the first 100 acres in 1929, Gonzales said. They were also involved in local efforts with the YWCA and opening of First National Bank.

Chandler served five terms in the state Assembly and two in the state Senate. He was one of 12 in the assembly to vote against changing the state constitution to allow women's suffrage, Gonzales said.

Meux Home

The council recommended a review of the Meux Home Museum, a 16-room Victorian mansion.

Thomas Richard Meux volunteered in the 9th Tennessee Volunteer Regiment of the Confederate Army in 1861 before he worked as a doctor in Fresno, according to Fresno Bee archives.

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