Richland Bombers

The Richland Bombers is the athletic mascot for Richland High School in Washington. The Bomber name was inspired by the town's involvement in the nearby Hanford Site, which was built as a part of the Manhattan Project in 1943.

History

Formally known as Columbia High, Richland High School changed their mascot from the Beavers to the Bombers in 1945 after America had won the Second World War. The school year had nearly ended by the time the bomb was dropped in August, 1945. The change came as a result of the participation of Hanford workers in the War Effort. Employees each donated one days pay to build a B-17 bomber, which was then named the "Day's Pay". Richland High School honored that contribution by adopting the bomber as a mascot. (Richland High School nickname "the Bombers" came from a scavenged practice bomb painted the school colors and displayed at the school's athletic events the inaugural school year)

The inaugural year of Columbia High School was the spring of 1944. It was a short school year and the yearbook of that class shows the school's mascot was the Beavers. The following school year, beginning September 1944, a scavenged practice bomb from the nearby bombing range (Present day Bombing Range Road in West Richland, WA) was painted the school colors of Green and Gold and the first full year's athletic teams displayed it at fall, winter and spring athletic events and pep assemblies, and is documented in the yearbook as the mascot. For history of the school, see "The Bomber, the Bomb and the Bombers" by Keith Maupin.

The "Day's Pay" B-17 airplane was a war-time pride project of the nearby Hanford Work's employees (with nearly 90% donating a day's pay towards the building of the plane). The high school had no part in this war-time project.

In 1972, the logo for the Bombers was modified to add a mushroom cloud to the picture of the bomb, which generated much controversy. At one point, a protest was mounted with regard to the logo, and one group brought cards written by Japanese children asking the school to change the image. The principal was quoted as responding to them, "We did not start the war."

The school's original name of Columbia High School was changed during the 1981-1982 school year, by a vote of the students (and with considerable controversy by alumni of the school). The rationale was that there were other Columbia High School's in the state, and Richland was more identifiable as both the geographical location as well as the pride the students had in the history of the town.