Some faraway relatives of former Chattanooga Mayor T.C. Thompson are incensed about a rebranding of Erlanger Health System’s pediatric hospital that removes Thompson’s name from marketing materials.
Emily Iland, of Saugus, Calif., one of Thompson’s 13 grandchildren, said she didn’t know any of his children or grandchildren had been consulted about the change, despite Erlanger officials’ statements that descendants were in agreement about the rebranding.
“It was not a pleasant surprise,” said Iland, who said she read about the change in a Chattanooga Times Free Press story online Thursday. “I think they should say they made a business decision and marketing decision, but not say our family was consulted or happy about it.”
But Erlanger officials said they tried to reach as many of Thompson’s descendants as they could find, and they did meet with a few local descendants, including two of his grandchildren, Liz Norris and Mary Curtis. Those family members were comfortable with the change, said spokeswoman Pat Charles.
Norris, a Chattanooga resident, expressed concern to hospital officials last year when she first heard rumors of the change. She declined to comment Thursday.