IMU's non-controversial changing the name of the Nevanlinna Prize

It has been renamed The Abacus Medal. If you want to know why the IMU (International Mathematics Union) thinks the new name is good but do not care even a little about why the original name was bad then see this article: here.

So why is The Nevanlinna Prize a bad name? In brief, Rolf Nevanlinna was an enthusiastic Nazi sympathizer. How enthused? He served as the chair of the Finish SS recruitment committee. That would seem like enough to get the name changed. In fact, it makes one wonder why the prize originally had the name. 1) Why the change now?  It began when Alexander Soifer came across this information about Nevanlinna while working on his book The Scholar and the State: In Search of Van der Waerdan (see here to buy it, see here for a book review column that includes my review of it). He then wrote a letter to the IMU which sponsors the Nevanlinna Prize. The letter is here. Note that Alexander offered to pay for the prize ($15,000 every four years) if that will help get the name changed. After a response that lamely said (I paraphrase): Gee, we didn't know. Oh well. Alex wrote another letter which is here. The story has a happy ending: the name was changed.  (No, Alexander is not paying for the award.) 2) For a full summary of why the award was originally named Nevanlinna  and why it was changed see the article, Yes We Can,  by Alexander Soifer, in an issue of the journal Mathematical Competitions, see here.

3) When is change possible?

 Assume Y did X and X is awful (e.g., I assume for most of my readers believing and spreading Nazi propaganda). Assume there is a Y-prize. What does it take to have the name changed?

a) You need someone pushing hard for it. Kudos to Alexander Soifer who started this.

b) There is no really good reason to use that name in the first place. 

What was Nevanlinna's contribution to mathematical aspects of computer science? The IMU (International Mathematics Union) internet page answers:

The prize was named in honors of Rolf Nevanlinna ... who in the 1950's had taken the initiative to the computer organization at Finnish Universities. 

That's all. If there was a Gauss Prize (actually there IS a Gauss Prize) and we later found out that Gauss was X, I doubt we would change the name of the award. Gauss's name is on it since he is a great mathematician. 

c) The person on the award is not the one giving the money. If we found out that Nobel was an X,  I doubt the name would change since he is paid for it. 

d) If the award name is well known then it might not change. Nobel is a good example. I think the Nevanlinna prize is mostly unknown to the public. The Field's medal is better known, though still not that well known. The general public became briefly aware of the Field's medal twice: when it was mentioned in the movie Good Will Hunting, and when Perelman turned it down. Fame is fleeting for both prizes and people.

e) Organizations don't like to change things. Hence X would need to be particularly bad to warrant a name change. 

OTHER THOUGHTS

1) Why The Abacus Medal? Perhaps they are worried that if they name it after someone and that someone turns out to be an X they'll have to change it again. I find the explanation given here to be unsatisfying. I find the fact that they make NO MENTION of why they are no longer naming it The Nevanlinna prize appalling and insulting.

2) Lets turn to people who get the awards. If someone solved two Millennium problems and clearly deserved a Field's Medal, but was an X, should they be denied the prize on that basis. I would tend to think no (that is, they should get the prize) but it does trouble me. What would happen?  I honestly don't know.  

3) X will change over time.