EUGENE, Ore. – The Eugene City Council wants to rename its downtown plaza in honor of Ken Kesey, the author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “Sometimes a Great Notion.”
The Register-Guard reports the council voted 6-1 Wednesday to begin the name-change process.
The square is named Broadway Plaza, but many call it Kesey Square.
The square includes a statue of the local author reading to his grandchildren. It was dedicated in 2003, two years after his death in Eugene, Ore.
Councilor Mike Clark cast the only vote against the Kesey name, saying that the counter-culture figure defined an era that a large segment of the community finds distasteful.
Councilor Claire Syrett said it’s appropriate to recognize Kesey as a literary figure.
