The embezzlement lawsuit naming former United Mid-Coast Charities President Russell Brace reinforces my belief that nothing permanent should be named in honor of a living person.

As long as a person lives, and no matter what good deeds are done, there is no way to know in advance what his or her total (or net) contribution to the world will be.

Maybe greater things are yet to come, in which case a greater honor would be in order, or maybe later actions will somehow undo or overshadow the good that he or she has done, calling earlier honors into question.

Think how embarrassed the community would be now if it had named a school, park or clinic in Brace’s honor before his alleged multimillion-dollar thefts came to light.

Thanks are always in order at the time good deeds are done, but honors carved in stone should wait until a life’s work is complete and the final score is tallied.

E.L. Clopton

Westbrook