SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 11

(By Senator Facemyer)


Requesting the Division of Highways officially name the bridge crossing the Ohio River on U. S. Route 35 near Point Pleasant, Mason County, "The Silver Memorial Bridge" in honor of the 46 men and women who tragically lost their lives when the former Silver Bridge suddenly collapsed.

Whereas, On December 15, 1967, at approximately 5:00 p.m., the Silver Bridge collapsed with 64 people in 31 vehicles on the Bridge at the time. The tragedy affected not only the communities of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio, but also the nation; and
Whereas, President Lyndon B. Johnson immediately established a task force to begin an intensive study of the Bridge's collapse. On February 7, 1968, President Johnson ordered a federal-state program for immediate reconstruction of the Bridge; and
Whereas, The members of the seventy-sixth Legislature of West Virginia would like to honor the lives of Kathy Byus and Maxine Turner, whose bodies were never recovered from the Ohio River; and the lives of Albert Adler, Jr., Julius Bennett, Leo Blackman, Kristye Boggs, Margaret Boggs, Hilda Byus, Kimberly Byus, Melvin Cantrell, Thomas Cantrell, Donna Casey, Cecil Counts, Horace Cremeans, Harold Cundiff, Alonzo Darst, Aimme Duff, James Hawkins, Bobby Head, Forrest Higley, Alva Lane, Thomas Lee, G. H. Mabe, Darlene Mayes, Gerald McMannus, James Maxwell, James Meadows, Timothy Meadows, Frederick Miller, Ronnie Moore, Darlus Nibert, Nora Nibert, James Pullen, Leo Sanders, Ronald Sims, Charles Smith, Oma Smith, Maxine Sturgeon, Denzil Taylor, Glenna Taylor, Robert Towe, Victor Turner, Marvin Wamsley, Lillian Wedge, Paul Wedge and James White, whose bodies were recovered from the River; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the Division of Highways officially name the bridge crossing the Ohio River on U. S. Route 35 near Point Pleasant, Mason County, "The Silver Memorial Bridge" in honor of the 46 men and women who tragically lost their lives when the former Silver Bridge suddenly collapsed; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways cause an appropriate sign to be placed at both ends of the bridge which designates the bridge as "The Silver Memorial Bridge"; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation.