HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 112

(By Delegates Canterbury, Ambler and Cooper)

Requesting the Division of Highways to name a section of road on U.S. Route 219, locally known as Frankford Road and Main Street, running through Ronceverte, West Virginia, Greenbrier County, the "Howard M. 'Toddy' Loudin Memorial Highway."

            Whereas, Howard M. "Toddy" Loudin grew up in the West Virginia hills, spending his early years in Randolph County and then moving to Morgantown where his mother taught English and where he played on the first basketball team at Morgantown High School; and

            Whereas, "Toddy" Loudin subsequently attended Davis and Elkins College where he earned a B.S. degree and became the team captain in football, baseball and basketball, earning four letters in each of those sports and played on the unbeaten 1923 football team; and

            Whereas, "Toddy" Loudin began an unparalleled coaching career in West Virginia high schools, starting at Cameron High School, then Middlebourne High School and then Rowlesburg High School. He subsequently learned of a coaching position at Greenbrier High School in Ronceverte, and lacking a car of his own, he hitchhiked to Ronceverte where he landed the job that he would maintain for the next thirty-two years; and

            Whereas, by the time of his retirement in 1966, Coach Loudin had established a record of 1038 overall wins in three different sports compared to just 278 losses, making him West Virginia's winningest coach at the time and his record of 698 wins in basketball still stands as the most wins of any basketball coach in West Virginia; and

            Whereas, The man known to the public as "Coach" or "Toddy" has been named to the Davis and Elkins College Sports Hall of Fame, the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Greenbrier County's "Centennial Sports Great" in 1963, it is appropriate for this body to acknowledge his outstanding achievements and to honor his memory in the city where he made his home and made history; therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

            That the Division of Highways name the section of road on U.S. Route 219, locally known as Frankford Road and Main Street, running through Ronceverte, West Virginia, Greenbrier County, the "Howard M. 'Toddy' Loudin Memorial Highway"; and, be it

            Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to make two signs that state, in bold and prominent lettering, the "Howard M. 'Toddy' Loudin Memorial Highway "and to erect these signs on either side of that portion of road; 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, the Commissioner of Highways, and to the City of Ronceverte, West Virginia.