Don’t Like Public Monuments?

When I was a student at the University of Colorado, I regularly walked by the Dalton Trumbo memorial fountain which was named after the communist Stalin-sympathizing novelist and screenwriter.

Once upon a time, the fountain had been simply known as “the fountain,” but around 25 years ago, it was unnecessarily renamed after a controversial person.

The reason for the renaming was the same as with any memorial or monument designed to honor a person or idea — to create an emotional connection and...