Investigator Earle Spamer suggests that we collect and honor authority figures whose names name whatever it is they are authorities of, on, or in. These are top dogs — department heads, presidents, etc. — not mere eponym icons such as Dr. Doctor or icon cult figures such as Dr. Brilliant.
This is a very special sub-case of nominative determinism. Each of these high-ranking persons is a superior sort of eponym. He or she has the right to be called an Eponymy Authority Figure.
Dr. English
Chair, English Department
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
(SOMEWHAT UNRELATED NOTE: Also see Stigler’s Law of Eponymy)
(Thanks to investigator June Oshiro for bringing the examples of Drs. Doctor and Brilliant to our attention.)