HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 77

(By Delegates Longstreth, Manchin and Caputo)

Requesting the Division of Highways to name the bridge located at the new Fairmont, West Virginia interchange, locally called the “Gateway Connector”, which travels over I-79 to downtown Fairmont, specifically bridge number 10307 the “SP5 Lloyd “Buddy” Greene Jr. Memorial Bridge.”

    Whereas, Buddy Greene was born on May 27, 1948, to Lloyd E. Greene Sr. and Bevelyn Fluharty Greene in Fairmont, West Virginia; and

    Whereas, Buddy Greene lived all his life on the hillside of what is now known as the Gateway Connector in Fairmont; and

    Whereas, It was in this East Fairmont community that he attended school, first State Street School followed by East Fairmont High School where he was an skilled athlete and an honor graduate; and

    Whereas, This East Fairmont community is where Buddy made friends, delivered newspapers, helped others in need and moved his wife there before he left for war, so she would be surrounded by family; and

    Whereas, Buddy was drafted into the Army November 20, 1967, just four months after he was married; and

    Whereas, He received basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and then at Fort Eustis, Virginia as a crew chief for the maintenance and repair of UH-1 and OH-6A helicopters; and

    Whereas, Upon completion of training he was stationed at Nha Trang, South Vietnam; and

    Whereas, At the time of his death, buddy was a crew chief with the 201st Aviation Company, 17th CAG, on an administrative flight to coordinate aviation activities at Khanh Duong, Boun Ea Yang and the U.S. installations at Ban Me Thout East and Ban Me Thout City Airfields; and

    Whereas, The Greene family had two additional sons that served during the Vietnam War; and

    Whereas, Buddy’s mother still resides in the family home surrounded by additional family members living on the same hillside near the Gateway Connector; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Legislature hereby requests the Commissioner of the Division of Highways to name bridge number 10307 located at the new Fairmont, West Virginia interchange, locally called the “Gateway Connector”, which travels over I-79 to downtown Fairmont the “SP5 Lloyd “Buddy” Greene Jr. Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of the Division of Highways is hereby requested to cause to be fabricated signs to be erected at each entry of said bridge, containing bold and prominent letters proclaiming the bridge to be the “SP5 Lloyd “Buddy” Greene Jr. Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Secretary of Transportation, the Commissioner of the Division of Highways, and surviving family members of Lloyd “Buddy” Greene Jr.