Park renamed to honor city’s first superintendent

A shifting in naming of one Fort Morgan park and new naming at another will allow both the most influential early city employee and Fort Morgan High School’s most notable graduate to be honored.

City Council has approved the renaming of Glenn Miller Park – the courtyard area near the entrance to historic City Hall at 110 Main St. – as George Cox Park, while Downtown City Park, 414 Main St., will be renamed as Glenn Miller Park. The change was approved Tuesday by a 6-0 vote of City Council, with City Councilman Bill Garcia not in attendance.

“We are still benefiting today from some of the innovation from George Cox,” said Mayor Lyn Deal, who introduced the proposal to make the naming changes. She often claims to be the self-appointed city historian.

The first full-time city superintendent, Cox served for 36 years with Fort Morgan. In 1927, under Cox’s leadership, the city earned the claim as the most progressive small town in the state and, in 1929, while hosting the Colorado Municipal League annual meeting, Cox was selected as the league’s state president, a report presented by Deal reads.

Cox led infrastructure improvements, operation of municipal water and light plants, construction of the sewer system, designed parks and public buildings.

“He assumed as his personal responsibility the goal of making Fort Morgan the best possible place in which to live,” Deal read from a file she had prepared in 1994 to petition for City Hall to be included among the National Register of Historic Places.

The Fort Morgan electrical department was organized by Cox in 1906, and free power was provided for porch lights in Fort Morgan, leading to the town becoming known as the “City of Lights”. He inspired construction of a power plant in 1923, which still stands today along the South Platte River. It was retired from service in 1952.

“When George Cox retired from city government in 1940, he left behind a legacy of progressive municipal services and public utilities” which other municipalities aimed to emulate, Deal read.

“The City Hall building best represents his significant contribution to the development of Fort Morgan,” Deal read from her 1994 report, leading to her proposal the adjacent courtyard area be renamed in his honor.

Meanwhile, the naming changes will allow an honor previously bestowed upon Big Band leader Glenn Miller to continue. Fort Morgan was the boyhood home of Glenn Miller, whose 1941 recording of “Chattanooga Choo Choo” topped the pop charts for nine weeks and sold 1.2 million copies, earning him the music industry’s first gold record.

Miller was influenced by his high school band and orchestra director, Elmer Wells, and eventually began his own dance band which eventually led to his founding of the most popular band of the Big Band era: The Glenn Miller Orchestra.

During a six-year span from 1938-1944, Miller and his band released 266 singles, 16 of which reached No. 1 on the charts. He also arranged three No. 1 recordings by other artists. Miller outsold any other Big Band act of his era by 10 million records. He is believed to have died over the English Channel in a 1944 plane crash.

“City Council desires to continue to honor Glenn Miller for his historical connection with the City of Fort Morgan,” by renaming and designating City Park as Glenn Miller Park, the resolution presented by Deal reads.