SEATTLE -- Port of Seattle commissioners Tuesday changed Henry M. Jackson International Airport back to Seattle-Tacoma International - its name until the decision six months ago to honor the late senator.
'It's evident to me that the vast majority of people in King County prefer a geographical name for their airport,' said Port Commission Chairman Henry T. Simonson.
He was one of three commissioners to vote for a return to Sea-Tac, while two members of the board voted to retain the name given the airport four days after Jackson's death last Sept. 1.
'It was to be expected,' said Jackson's widow, Helen, in a telephone interview from Washington. 'I'm disappointed they decided to change it. I was sorry it came to all of this once they made the decision.
'I understand the controversy was not aimed at 'Scoop,' it was aimed at the old name for the airport,' she said.
Teresa Tischue, who waged a one-woman campaign to have the name changed back, said she felt the right decision was made Tuesday.
'I think it's nice for everyone in the state of Washington and in the region who felt we needed a geographically distinct name for the airport,' said the unemployed tour guide.
Tischue said she talked with Mrs. Jackson during the weekend, trying to explain opposition to the name Jackson International had nothing to do with the Democratic senator who spent 42 years in Congress.
Simonson admitted the commission acted too fast when it unilaterally decided last September to rename the airport without seeking public comment.
Ivar Haglund, a Seattle restaurateur elected to the commission in November, described the late senator as one of his heroes but said he prefers the geographical name because 'it brings harmony and regionalism.'
