HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 52

(By Delegates Walker, Iaquinta, Perry, Boggs and Fleischauer)

Requesting the Division of Highways to name a specific stretch of road on WV Route 16 in Calhoun County, West Virginia, specifically, that stretch of road beginning at the county line of Clay and Calhoun counties and continuing to the junction of WV Route 16 and US Route 33, the “Richardson Brothers’ Memorial Highway”.

    Whereas, Jack Lewis Richardson and Barbara Ellen (Fields) Richardson of Calhoun County, West Virginia, gave birth to four boys between the years 1914 and 1924, known collectively as the “Richardson Brothers”; and

    Whereas, All of the Richardson Brothers were born and raised in the hills of Calhoun County and attended Metheny Ridge Elementary; and

    Whereas, All of the Richardson Brothers left their rural Calhoun County to join the United States Army in order to protect the freedoms of our nation and the world in World War II; and

    Whereas, The oldest of the brothers, Jack Lacy Richardson, born on February 23, 1914, was inducted into the United States Army on December 5, 1942, and served until the date of his honorable discharge on November 20, 1945, reenlisting on November 21, 1945 and, again, honorably discharged, as a private first class, on February 19, 1946; and

    Whereas, When on a tour of duty in Germany, Jack Lacy Richardson was missing in action for 183 days, receiving a medal for this in addition to a Victory Ribbon for his military service; and

    Whereas, At the time of his discharge from the United States Army, Jack Lacey Richardson returned to West Virginia, settling in Glen, Clay County, working as a construction worker, marrying and fathering three children, one son and two daughters; and

    Whereas, Jack Lacey Richardson died on April 5, 1990, at the Veteran’s Hospital in Beckley, West Virginia, and is buried at Hoover Cemetery in Braxton County, West Virginia; and

    Whereas, The next eldest Richardson brother, Asa R. Richardson, was born on April 21, 1919, entered the United States Army on June 17, 1941, and served his country as a private first class until the date of his honorable discharge of October 6, 1945; and

    Whereas, While serving in the United States Army, Asa R. Richardson was a scout paratrooper, a combat infantryman and a rifle expert, serving in campaigns in the southern Philippines and in New Guinea; and

    Whereas, Asa R. Richardson received several awards and decorations including the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, the Bronze Arrowhead, the American Defense Service Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with Bronze Star and, not least of all, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster; and

    Whereas, Following his honorable discharge from the United States Army, Asa R. Richardson returned to Calhoun County, West Virginia, and then to Norton, Virginia; and

    Whereas, Asa R. Richardson was employed in the timber industry, married and fathered six children, four boys and two girls; and

    Whereas, Asa R. Richardson died in 1963 and is buried in Stone Gap Military Cemetery in Virginia; and

    Whereas, The next born Richardson Brother was Bill W. Richardson, born in 1922 in Calhoun County, West Virginia, and entering the United States Army on October 6, 1942; and

    Whereas, Bill W. Richardson is the only Richardson brother who did not return from the war, dying in action on May 14, 1943, in the North African Area; and

    Whereas, Bill W. Richardson, a private, was awarded the Purple Heart for Military Merit and for Wounds Received in Action; and

    Whereas, The youngest of the Richardson Brothers was Thomas Junior Richardson, born on September 12, 1924, in Calhoun County; and

    Whereas, Thomas Junior Richardson was inducted into the United States Army on December 5, 1942, receiving an honorable discharge, as a private, on June 27, 1945; and

    Whereas, While in the United States Army, Thomas Junior Richardson served in campaigns in Normandy, Northern France and Rhineland; and

    Whereas, Thomas Junior Richardson was awarded the Purple Heart and the European African Eastern Theater Medal; and

    Whereas, Following his honorable discharge from the United States Army, Thomas Junior Richardson returned to West Virginia, residing at Dille in Clay County, working in the coal mines, marrying and having four children, two sons, one stepson and one stepdaughter; and

    Whereas, The last of the Richardson Brothers, Thomas Junior Richardson passed away in the year 2006; and

    Whereas, The Richardson Brothers should be acknowledged and honored by their home state for all coming forward, out of the safe hills of Calhoun County at the time of the nation’s and the world’s need, prepared to sacrifice their life in order to protect the freedoms of the nation and the world; and

    Whereas, Of the four, only three returned from the war, providing an even greater justification for honoring these brave and selfless Richardson men; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name that stretch of road beginning at the county line of Clay and Calhoun counties and continuing to the junction of WV Route 16 and US Route 33, the “Richardson Brothers’ Memorial Highway”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to cause to have made two signs that state, in bold and prominent lettering, the “Richardson Brothers’ Memorial Highway”, and to erect these signs on either end of the specific stretch of road at locations most easily read by vehicular traffic on WV Route 16; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and to the Richardson Brothers’ nephew, Mr. John Morris of Chloe, West Virginia.