I seek to address the issue of changing building names at Iowa State, an institution where I happily devoted nine years of my life as an associate professor in music, a relationship with the African American studies program as a teacher and as its program director for a few years during the protests.

I know decisions to not rename Catt Hall were made over 25 years ago, as I was there during these events. For a person to assume historical figures must have done something wrong because someone says so without primary source accuracy is not indicative of appropriate reflection at a major research one institution.

Committees have come and gone; much real information has been made available by people who actually read hundreds of real documents from widely-available primary source material. This is now fodder for consumption by people who have agendas having absolutely nothing to do with the truth or with historical accuracy.

Kirk Smith was an associate professor of music at Iowa State from 1989-98.