Alger Council Rescinds Ray Brown Memorial Park Name, Seeks Further Community Input

At its April meeting this week, Alger village council members voted to change the name of the Ray Brown Memorial Park back to its original name, which is the Alger Park, but that may not be the end of the story.

Council passed a resolution in August of 2024 to rename the park in honor of Brown who pitched in the pre-integration Negro Leagues for a legendary Homestead Grays team that also featured Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, and Cool Papa Bell.

Mayor Von Summa said all he must do is sign the resolution and the name change will be official, but in a 4 to 2 vote Monday evening, council decided to rescind that resolution.

Council member Mike Miller said he voted yes to change the name back because of the negative feedback received when they changed the name last summer.

Fellow council member Rick Onions said the negative feedback he got was all “racially based period.”

He said if Ray Brown’s name is removed, the public will perceive Alger as the most racial, segregated village in Ohio.

He added people outside of Alger will say “they have a Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Fame inductee from 2006, and they are not willing to change the name to honor him.”

After already voting to change the name back to Alger Park, council decided to conduct a formal survey and will revisit the idea of changing the name back yet again to Ray Brown Memorial Park at a future village council meeting.

You can view the entire council meeting on the Village of Alger bulletin board Facebook page by clicking here.