SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 32

(By Senators Stollings, Unger, Chafin and Beach)

Requesting the Division of Highways to name the five-mile section of West Virginia Route 10 in Lincoln County from the Logan County line towards Ferrellsburg and Harts the “Jerry Lee Richards Memorial Highway”.

    Whereas, Jerry Lee Richards was born on April 9, 1950, to Thurmond Richards and Violet Brumfield Richards at West Hamlin, in Lincoln County, West Virginia, and was a resident of Harts, West Virginia, when he died on May 29, 2011, at the age of 61 years. He is survived by his wife, Judy Toppins Richards, daughter, Kathy (Robbie) Thompson, son, Jerry R. Richards, sisters, Kay Jernell and Rebecca Walker, three grandsons, Tyler Jackson Thompson, Nathan Lee Thompson and Conner Matthew Richards; and

    Whereas, Jerry Lee Richards grew up in the Harts/Ferrellsburg area, attending Greenshoal and Ferrellsburg Elementary, graduated from Harts High School in 1968, Nashville Diesel School in 1969 and attended Logan Branch of Marshall University. Mr. Richards was a self-employed entrepreneur and owner of J&K Construction for 32 years and Harts Pro Hardware. He was formerly employed by Richards Ashland Station at Ferrellsburg and Ford Motor Company. He was a member of the West Virginia Independent Oil and Gas Association. Active in his community, Mr. Richards gave his attention to: Health clinics and citizen access and serving on the local board of directors; development and use of cell towers for rural areas; county roads and bridges with emphasis on county ownership and maintenance for rural roads, handicap access and safety; making public water available to rural homes and schools; business assistance for local job markets and development for new ones; helping to acquire grants for equipment and encouraging participation in fire departments; and, he had a passion for local elections and encouraging members of his community to participate in the process; and

    Whereas, Jerry Lee Richards was a caring and giving person, a respected and active member of his community and his dedication and commitment to his family, community and state served as a great example to us all and should not go unnoticed; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Legislature hereby requests the Division of Highways to name the five-mile section of West Virginia Route 10 in Lincoln County from the Logan County line towards Ferrellsburg and Harts the “Jerry Lee Richards Memorial Highway”; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to have made and be placed signs identifying this section of highway as the “Jerry Lee Richards Memorial Highway”; 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 and to the surviving family of Jerry Lee Richards.