Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 18, 1990 TAG: 9007180161
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ed Shamy
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The fall from glory would have dealt a death blow to a lesser man, to a zealot less committed to wresting a more attractive tag design for the Old Curmudgeon state.
But however cruel this comeuppance has been to Mr. License Plate, he will endure. He will prevail. And Virginians from Norfolk to Norton will be allowed to remove the dreadful plates from their cars soon.
First, an update for those of you joining us in progress. I have revealed that Virginia has license plates so dull they have been documented to cause hemorrhages of the occipital occlusion - or something equally nasty that health insurance does not cover.
To make a long story a whole lot longer, I - doing business as Mr. License Plate - inaugurated a competition to design a new plate, accepted 172 entries, selected judges and bullied the judges.
The 14 winners appeared in the paper last week.
What does Mr. License Plate get for his trouble? How is he compensated for his vow to lobby for a new license plate for Virginia, the Old Domicile?
Ridicule. That's what Mr. License Plate gets.
Evans Richardson of Roanoke writes: "I've admired and been very proud of the dignity and simplicity of our blue and white license tags . . . " blah, blah, blah.
Joan Sudminer of Salem writes: "To say I am very disappointed is the least of my thoughts . . . what a joke . . . you and the other judges really screwed up royally . . . they do not comply with the rules requirements you published . . . had I known more than one entry was allowed per person, my slogan would have been `Keep Virginia green, don't pollute' . . . In case you get any ideas of publishing any part of my complaint, PLEASE use only my initials, not my full name. J.S., Salem"
Then a kangaroo court's jury from Radford wrote to accuse me of rigging the judging: " . . . [A]nother thing we would like to know is how come eight out of 14 winners was from Roanoke? The only thing we could figure out is that all the other little towns and villages didn't have a favorite son or daughter that could draw like the one from Roanoke . . . excuse the writing but I don't have a big city education."
Mr. License Plate is deeply hurt by these tirades and can only respond by telling his accusers to drop like stones into the river.
No, Mr. Plate (as you complainers can call me from here on out - License to the rest of you) won't buckle.
In fact, he'll be at Tanglewood Mall on Saturday, from noon until he feels like leaving, displaying all 172 license plates. We'll talk plate talk and discuss strategy and kick off our lobbying campaign to bring a new tag to the Old Onion.
In a couple of weeks, we'll do the same at Valley View Mall. Negotiations for a display somewhere in the New River Valley are under way and I will keep you informed.
Even small-town folk are invited to this event.
You may come, too, Joan. And I will tell you to your face: "Keep Virginia green, don't pollute" stinks as a slogan. And you wouldn't have won if you had submitted it.
by CNB