By Chris Cosci

In Highland, Michigan, there are a couple of residents who are not happy with the street on which they live. It has nothing to do with their neighbors, and there's nothing wrong with the traffic. What has these residents all hot and bothered is the name of the street: Crapo.

You would think these people would be honored. After all, the street is named after former Michigan Governor Henry Howard Crapo. Crapo was a revered man responsible for bringing a railroad line through Highland, helping spark the growth of the community. He was also related to William Durant, founder of General Motors Corp. But despite these contributions to the state of Michigan, people just can't get around the fact that his last name was Crapo.

And now this unfortunate last name has been passed down to a street name so that others can experience what it's like to live with it. In a way, this may be the perfect redemption for the entire Crapo family. Imagine being able to take the burden of such a name and pass it along to people who would normally make fun of it. It's ingenious.

It should be noted that Crapo is pronounced with a long "a" sound (like Cray-Po). At least, that's how it's supposed to be pronounced. But you and I both know that this is not what you were thinking when you first read it. It goes without saying that the former governor probably had a very scarring childhood.

The problem is, when it comes to sense of humor, most people still have the mentality of a six-year-old. Admit it, if you were driving down the road in Michigan and you came across Crapo Street, you'd probably giggle to yourself like a child. I've seen it happen in similar situations. Near my brother's home, there's a "speed limit" sign that has had the "s" and the "d" blackened out by some obviously witty vandals. I can still hear my brother and sister nearly bursting into hysterics because the sign now reads "pee limit."

And it's this Peter Pan complex in most of us that has made a couple of Crapo Street residents plea with the local government for a name change. These people have grown tired of the muffled chuckles and restrained guffaws they receive when giving out their address. They want to be able to say their street name and retain some sense of dignity and decorum. And I'm sure they also don't enjoy people making up fun songs like "there was a town that had a street, and Crapo was its name-o."

So the Road Commission for Oakland County has listened to their request and has agreed to modify the name to help eliminate the embarrassment these people have suffered. As of December 11, the street will be named Gov. Crapo Street. Yes, that should certainly silence those silly people who found Crapo Street so amusing. The "Gov." part really adds that air of sophistication the name was sorely lacking.

Only time will tell if this alteration will be enough to prevent people from stifling a laugh at the sight of the name Crapo. With any luck, the people of Highland will not be visited by the same people responsible for the "pee limit" sign. Otherwise, they could just black out the "Gov." and the people of Crapo Street will be back to square one.

But name change or not, the people who live on what will soon be Gov. Crapo Street can take comfort in one small fact disclosed by local township leaders. The Crapo Street sign is not the most popular target for sign thieves. That distinction belongs to the sign for Woodcock Way. Maybe if they changed it to Gov. Woodcock Way...