SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 13
(By Senators Kessler, Unger, McCabe and Palumbo)
Requesting the Division of Highways to name Bridge No. 1009,
located on U.S. Route 119 at mile post 25.53 crossing Coopers
Creek, Big Chimney, Kanawha County, specifically bridge number
20-119-25.53, the "Private First Class Thomas Keith Coleman
Memorial Bridge."
Whereas, Thomas Keith Coleman was born on December 7, 1948, in
Big Chimney, raised and educated in Kanawha County, the son of
Marvin and Kathleen Coleman; and
Whereas, He graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in 1966
where he excelled in academics, was an athlete participating on the
football, wrestling and track teams and was well-liked and
respected by his classmates, as well as the faculty; and
Whereas, After graduation, he proudly volunteered for service
in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and rose to the rank of
Private First Class, believing that he could best serve his country
in the Marine Corps; and
Whereas, Private First Class Coleman was deployed to South
Vietnam in December 1967; and
Whereas, After serving less than a year, he was tragically
killed on January 27, 1968, in Quang Tri, South Vietnam, by small
arms fire and grenades, at the age of nineteen; and
Whereas, He became the first son from the community of Big Chimney to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country, during the
conflict in Vietnam, earning the bronze star and purple heart
posthumously; and
Whereas, At the time of his passing, he was survived by his
parents and sisters, Barbara Ravenscroft and Susan Coleman; and
Whereas, The nature of the sacrifice of this brave and
courageous son from Kanawha County requires us to honor his memory,
by ensuring that future generations are aware of his sacrifice in
the cause of freedom; 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 20-119-25.53, located on
U.S. Route 119 at mile post 25.53 crossing Coopers Creek, Big
Chimney, Kanawha County the "Private First Class Thomas Keith
Coleman 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 "Private First Class
Thomas Keith Coleman 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
Transportation, the Commissioner of the Division of Highways, and
the family of Private First Class Thomas Keith Coleman