Redmen Forever Committee


Thank you Natick Outdoor Store for your support!

***************************************************

The committee supports the continued use of the name REDMEN for students and athletes attending the public schools in Natick, Massachusetts. 

Through the committee's effort, Question #3, a referendum to encourage the Natick School Committee to keep the Redmen name, was added to the ballot for the March 25th 2008 town election.  The committee started as a grass-roots effort comprised of concerned Natick residents, and quickly expanded and registered as a Municipal Ballot Question Committee for the purposes of collecting funding for this effort.

Question #3 on the March 25th ballot read as follows:

Should the School Committee reconsider its decision to discontinue the use of the Redmen nickname for the Natick High School sports teams? 

The March 25th referendum carried by a 2-to-1 margin (64.9%) in favor of keeping the name Redmen. 

Efforts now continue to convince the School Committee to listen to the voices of the 6085 voters and to reverse their infamous decision of March 5, 2007 to discontinue the Redmen name.

To us the name Redmen means great things - such as pride, honor, perseverance and victory - as it has for generations of Natick residents.  We were not willing to abandon the name simply because some outside agitators felt the name was offensive to them.  The School Committee at the time acted rashly, and caved too quickly to political correctness, in deciding to scrap the name without the benefit of proper input of affected residents.  Thousands of proud Natick student athletes and their families have worked too hard to glorify the name Redmen to simply allow it to be stripped from us now.

The battle is not over yet, we still NEED your support - physically, emotionally and/or monetarily by donation.  We welcome all real Redmen to contact us to assist in this mission.

Here is another explanation of what we are about.  The following letter came from Katlyn Shagory of the US Army:

I recently returned from a 15 month tour in Iraq. A few months into the deployment I got an oddly shaped package from my Dad. Inside was a sign that said:

Natick Redmen - Home of Champions - 5,396 miles

It was one of the best packages I received while deployed. My Dad had requested the sign from the department of public works and they gladly made the sign for me and several other residents of Natick that were deployed. I proudly displayed that sign outside the trailer I worked in. Every morning as I walked to work I walked past the sign and it brought a smile to my face. Everyone that worked with me knew the story of the sign and knew a little something about the great town of Natick. There were times when things got very hard, it seemed like 15 months was an eternity, and that we would not accomplish our mission. However every time I walked past my Natick Redmen sign I had a little respite from the chaos, exhaustion, and uncertainty of life in Baghdad. The sign brought back fond memories of growing up in Natick. As a four sport athlete, the Redmen name was an ever present symbol of my high school experience. Many team mates are still friends over ten years after we showed up as nervous freshmen to practice. My strongest high school memories are in the pool, on the ski slope, and on the track. I remember what it felt like to represent my team , the Natick Redmen, in meets. I still remember the cheers we sang about being proud to be a Redmen. I remember returning victorious from swim meets with Vangi driving banging on the bus windows singing the Natick fight song. Being a Natick Redmen was part of my identity as a resident of Natick for 25 years and brought a sense of pride. I strongly support keeping the Redmen name and preserving the proud history and tradition of victory it represents. GO BIG RED!
Katlyn I. Shagory
8 Auburn St.
 Natick, MA