Dallas City Council Renames Union Station For Eddie Bernice Johnson

Eddie Bernice Johnson, Congresswoman for Texas’ 30th District, has represented Dallas in Washington since first being elected to the office in 1992. Today the City Council voted to honor what she’s done for the city by renaming Union Station for her.

On the occasion of the train depot’s 100th anniversary, it will henceforth be known as Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station.

Making no judgment whatsoever about how well and true Johnson has served her constituents, it strikes me as odd when we grant a distinction such as this to a leader who remains active in politics. Johnson, 80, is up for re-election in November. She’s reportedly said this will be her final two-year term. But still.

And, on the flip side, it always feels like a half-hearted honor when the rechristening of a place isn’t so much a rechristening as appending on an extra bit of business. It’s a sure acknowledgement that it’s unlikely Union Station will ever come to be known as “the Eddie” and that its historic name is bound to win out.