A press release from Sept. 18, states: Black Tie Dinner officials announced today that the organization has “reimagined” the John Thomas Scholarship Fund as the “Beyond The Tie” Fund and that the Fort Worth-based youth organization LGBTQ SAVES is its 2024 recipient.

Removing a specific hero’s name from an award can be complex and contentious. Various reasons, some practical and some not, often drive it. Some reasons are because it’s a re-evaluation of the hero’s legacy or maybe a desire for exclusivity. It may be to change the focus of the award’s purpose; it may be due to social progress or issues related to racism, sexism or other forms of discrimination.

It could be because of a public backlash, but that seems unlikely in John’s case, since his name, reputation and life have overt examples all over Dallas — the city and county, the state and the nation.

Perhaps the change is an evolution around his values and proof as a true hero over time.

John David Thomas is an iconic brand, and he has been an institution in the Dallas community for decades. Suggesting that his name is irrelevant to any award that would help others is ridiculous.

I don’t want to blame The Black Tie Dinner Committee or LGBTQ SAVES for their endeavors, but removing John’s name from this grant is not the answer. It is especially not the answer if you ever wish to grow and award other heroes, to lift them up to the same standards that John had to create the black-tie dinner event that has become one of the country’s most successful dinners for the LGBTQ community.

Removing his name, under any circumstance, is insulting — not only to his memory and to our history, but also to the many people who worked tirelessly with John for years to make the Black Tie Dinner one of the best in the country and funding its beneficiaries a priority.

If you want to continue using John’s name, you need to educate, not eradicate.

Educate others on what they can be and do to have awards in their name on awards or honors. Removing John’s name from an award sets a standard that future awards may also be changed. I’m not talking about Confederate generals here, but about real local heroes who made a difference in the lives of everyone at the dinner for decades.

I believe John would be very supportive of the mission the Black Tie Dinner committee and LGBTQ SAVES are trying to accomplish. We did the same with fewer resources in the early 1980s to create areas for LGBTQ individuals, social gatherings, and personal development.

But changing the name to “Beyond the Tie” is meaningless. It doesn’t say what it does, and it has no history, no role model to follow. Perhaps that is the goal. But can you imagine trying to rename the John David Thomas Bell Tower at the Cathedral of Hope to “Beyond The Bell? Or Turtle Creek Chorale to “Beyond The Creek.”

There is no better role model than John Thomas for what Black Tie is trying to do, which is to help grow LGBTQ SAVES so that it has opportunities to send representatives to the dinner and receive funds. It is a worthy cause. However, there is no better individual to motivate that than John Thomas, who made us all sell tickets, buy tables and work our butts off to make the dinner an exciting and lucrative event.

No one gave us anything.

John Thomas was first in line to help any organization grow its mission to support the LGBTQ community. He made several personal contributions to ensure we all had a better life, including founding the Black Tide Dinner.

I understand the need for generational change, but if removing John’s name proceeds, you don’t need the help of those who knew him.

— William Waybourn