The Story Behind the Names

I am one of those people who sees a picture on the wall in somebody’s house and walks over to straighten it out. When a report is issued, or the minutes from a meeting are distributed, I spot typos in the footnotes, and follow up to see that the corrections are made.

Spelling, grammar and overall neatness are character traits of mine that serve me well, and sometimes drive me a little crazy or create additional anxiety.

So imagine the angst I experience every time I drive through Aventura, where I see signs honoring someone but where the spelling is not the same for each sign.

I know we have much bigger problems to tackle these days. Nevertheless, I couldn’t control myself and had to find out which of the signs are correct – the ones that read Anne Ackerman (with the letter “e”) or the other ones printed as Ann Ackerman (without an “e”).

Along certain stretches of Biscayne Boulevard/US 1 in Aventura there are signs that read Anne Ackerman Boulevard, designated by the Florida Legislature back in 1987, two years before Ms. Ackerman’s passing. There are other signs along the same road that read Ann Ackerman Boulevard.

Is it Anne or Ann? While finding out the correct spelling, I felt compelled to find out something about her. I began my quest for the facts by doing what any seasoned detective would do – yes, I performed a quick search on the internet.

To my amazement, the answer was right there before my very own eyes. The Florida Legislature got it right! The correct spelling is Anne Ackerman Boulevard. And it turns out that Ackerman was a political volunteer who began her activism in Chicago, before moving to Aventura. She was tapped into the condominium crowd, where as a “condo commando” she rallied blocs of senior voters into action. She boycotted products, lobbied for certain causes and increased community involvement.

I spoke to County Commissioner Sally Heyman about my discovery and she said, “I would have thought that both signs were wrong. I would have thought it would be Annie” since that is how her name was pronounced. Heyman spoke with conviction as her middle name, I learned, is Anne.

Mayor Enid Weisman, upon hearing about the different spellings, said “I’m embarrassed that the English teacher in me didn’t notice it earlier. I feel like taking my red marker out there and fixing it.”

Anne or Ann may not matter much to most, but it did to Ackerman’s parents, so I hope this article gets the attention of the appropriate county officials. Ackerman spent many years pointing things out to elected officials and now – more than 30 years later – an elected official (me) is pointing something out about her.

As I conclude this article, I am planning to head over to the “Wm Lehman Causeway.” I am not sure why the name William is abbreviated on the sign, but I guess I’ll leave that one alone. 

Martin Karp recently stepped down from the board of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he served for 16 years.