HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 79

(By Delegate Ashley)

Requesting that bridge number 44-33-6.65 on U.S. 33 in Roane County, West Virginia, be named the “Jack D. Miller Memorial Bridge”.

    Whereas, Jack. D. Miller was born on January 12, 1925, the third of four children born to Robert and Pearl Miller; and

    Whereas, Jack Miller’s father, Robert Miller, served as a County Commissioner of Roane County for several years and was the son of one of Roane County’s first settlers, Mr. Samuel Miller; and

    Whereas, Jack D. Miller spent many of his boyhood years at a residence on the farm adjacent to the bridge for which this request seeks to have named in his honor; and

    Whereas, Jack D. Miller attended Spencer High School then, afterwards, joined the United States Army; and

    Whereas, While serving in the United States Army, Mr. Miller was stationed in Europe with the Fifth Armored Division, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and many other campaigns; and

    Whereas, While serving in Germany, Jack Miller took cover from enemy fire in a water-soaked trench in sub-zero temperatures resulting in a disabling condition of frostbite to his feet, a condition known as trench foot, rendering him unable to march and, consequently, he hid in a stack of turnips to avoid capture and, eventually, was rescued by a Red Cross ambulance; and

    Whereas, After recovery in a hospital in Germany, Jack Miller returned stateside and married Alice Ann Conley of Zona, Roane County, West Virginia; and

    Whereas, Following some much needed rest and relaxation at the Biltmore in Ashville, North Carolina, Mr. Miller served as a prison guard and post exchange (“PX”) manager in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia; and

    Whereas, Jack D. Miller was honorably discharged as a private first class in 1945; and

    Whereas, Following his honorable discharge, Mr. Jack Miller returned to Spencer until 1952 when he became an employee of United Fuel Gas Company, now Columbia Gas Company; and

    Whereas, Jack Miller retired in 1980, after twenty-eight years of service to his employer, returning to his beloved Roane County home until the time of his passing in October, 2006, a home in which Mr. Miller’s wife, Alice, continues to reside and actively serve the community; and

    Whereas, Mr. Miller was an honorable man, serving his country, his community and his family and it is fitting that a bridge in the beloved county of his upbringing and his retirement be named in his honor; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 44-33-6.65 on U.S.33 in Roane County, West Virginia, the “Jack D. Miller Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of the Division of Highways is hereby requested to erect signs at both ends of the bridge containing bold and prominent letters proclaiming the bridge the “Jack D. Miller Memorial Bridge”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways; to Mr. Miller’s wife, Alice Miller, on Vandale Fork in Roane County; and, to Mr. Miller’s son in Huntington, West Virginia.