User talk:Whalensj
Philip Markoff
[edit]Good morning, I am completely new to Wikipedia. I have read the talk page guidelines and believe I am posting in the correct area, but I apologize if I am not.
A few months ago, I deleted Philip Markoff from our list of "notable alumni." I understand now that that was not the correct way to have an item removed, and I apologize for taking that step. I respectfully request the removal of Mr. Markoff's name from the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School page.
We are a very small community, and for Mr. Markoff to be one of two notable alumni (at the time I deleted the information), is off scale. If not for the sensationalizing of his story, his name would not appear on our page, as each high school on Wikipedia does not list every alumnus who has been convicted of murder. That would be a long and sad list to end each Wikipedia entry. Separately, it provides infamy to a person who does not deserve such recognition and re-opens deep wounds for people that are simply trying to find basic district information.
If the original poster is unwilling to remove the entire name, I respectfully request the removal of his crimes from the page for the following reasons:
1) This is a website with reference information about the school, as such, the details of one person's criminal history should not be listed on it. 2) We are a K-12 school, and there is no reason that parents and students who are looking for us should be seeing "murder" and "robbery." 3) Even on Ted Bundy's high school's page, his crimes and victims are not listed.
I appreciate your time in considering our request.
Sincerely, Sondra
