Fort Wayne officials refuse to slap Harry Baals on public building

Officials in Fort Wayne Indianna have balked at naming the city's latest civic building after its most successful mayor – Harry Baals.

The city had thrown open the choice of moniker for its latest erection to the people. A campaign to name the building after Harry Baals soon gathered steam, with citizens eager to commemorate his four terms in office between the 1930s and 1950s.

However, the current administration has drawn the line at having Harry Baals splattered all over the new edifice, the AP reports.

While Harry's descendants pronounce the family name "bales", apparently the original pronunciation was more like "balls" – and killjoy city fathers are worried this might expose the City to puerile jokery.

"We realise that while Harry Baals was a respected mayor, not everyone outside of Fort Wayne will know that," deputy mayor Beth Malloy told the AP. "We wanted to pick something that would reflect our pride in our community beyond the boundaries of Fort Wayne."

One of Harry's descendents, Jim Baals, said: "I understand people are going to poke fun at it. That's OK. I've lived with that name for 51 years now, and I've gotten through it. I think everybody else can, too."

Fort Wayne is located in Allen County Indiana, but is not too far from Cass County, Clark County, Clay County, or Clinton County ... and even Hancock County. Sadly it is nowhere near Kerr County, Texas or Coffee County, Alabama. ®