In May, TechBoston Academy lost Keith Love, its longtime leader, to cancer at age 52. The school is now on summer break, but the students and teachers are taking action to memorialize their beloved administrator, who was a fixture at the former Dorchester High complex for 16 years.

His death hit the student body, which was already coping with the pandemic, the hardest. He was a father figure to hundreds of kids during his tenure.

In a story published in the Reporter just after Mr. Love’s death, graduating senior Dominique Hart described him this way: “He wasn’t just one of the headmasters to us. He was our smile in the morning, our dance for the day. He was an amazing man with an amazing personality.”

In the last few weeks, the TechBoston community has launched an effort to rename a playing field next to the school’s campus Keith Love Field. The space currently shares its name with Roberts Playground, the 10-acre city-owned park on Dunbar Avenue that serves not only the school but also the surrounding communities of Codman Square, Codman Hill, and Ashmont Hill.

In an online petition, the school community makes this case for the name change for the green space: “Keith was an integral part of the culture at TechBoston, serving as a mentor and father figure. He was best known for the connections and relationships he forged every day while he productively improved the school’s quality and resources.

“He took the time to get to know the local residents and included them in school celebrations. A friend to the Ashmont Hill Association, it was not uncommon for community members to attend our school performances and athletic events, a testament to Keith’s good will in the neighborhood.

“Collectively, our community cannot think of a more appropriate legacy for Keith than the renaming of the green space outside of TechBoston Academy to Keith Love Field. It is where students and residents gather in the same spirit that Keith exhibited during his tenure in the Boston Public Schools.”

The petition, which is directed to the Boston Parks Commission, which must approve the proposal, can be read online at dotnews.com.

– Bill Forry