RADNOR – Nearly two years after the Radnor School District changed its nickname from Raiders to Raptors, one vestige of its former name still exits: the entranceway to the high school.
Now, the district will consider changing Raider Road in order to honor of one of the district’s most famous alums.
During a facilities committee meeting this week, Bill Dolan, director of operations for the Radnor School District, said they will are considering changing the name of the roadway to Emlen Tunnell Way.
“This is the private road at the high school that is currently Raider Road that runs from Radnor Chester Road and then all the way over to King of Prussia Road,” Dolan said.
Radnor ditched the Raider name due to its connection with its former Native American mascot, which the school had already gotten rid of nearly a decade earlier.
Tunnell, who has a township park named for him, grew up in the Garrett Hill section of Radnor.
During World War II, Tunnell, while serving in the United States Coast Guard, risked his life to save two of his shipmates on two separate occasions.
In one case, Tunnell was onboard USS Etamin off Papua New Guinea when the ship came under attack by Japanese aerial torpedoes. When struck by a torpedo, the ship had some 6,000 pounds of fuel and ammunition, putting a massive hole in its side.
Tunnell entered a burning engine room and saved one of his shipmates.
“He was the only person in the engine room that survived that day because Emlen raced in, grabbed him, put the flames out with his hands – burned his hands severally and dragged him to higher-level medical care on the ship – the sickbay,” former Commandant of the Coast Guard Karl Schultz said during a 2021 event in Radnor honoring Tunnell.
In a second case, Tunnell risked his life by jumping into the 32-degree waters off Newfoundland and saving a shipmate who had fallen overboard.
In 2021, the Coast Guard honored Tunnell by naming one of its newest ships after him.
Tunnell later became a standout player in the National Football League and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“We feel this is a really wonderful way … to really honor Emlen Tunnell and his history as an alum and a community member who has done so much,” Dolan said. “It also has a nice ring to it – Emlen Tunnell Way – following all that he stood for.”
If the school board approves, Dolan said they could go to the township to change the signs at the traffic lights.
Board member Susan Stern didn’t favor the suggested name for one reason.
“For a very pragmatic reason, I do not like this name,” Stern said. “It’s too long for the road sign.”
She suggested using either his first or last name, but not both.
After Superintendent Ken Batchelor asked if it was any longer than Radnor Chester Road, Stern said she would drive by the road and see.
The issue is expected to be raised at the board’s next business meeting.
