2009 Oklahoma Memorial Roads & Bridges
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One hundred twenty-five (125) copies of this publication were printed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation printing services at a cost of $4.25 per copy. OKLAHOMA’S MEMORIAL HIGHWAYS & BRIDGES A CHRONOLOGY OF TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AND LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS Official Designations made before July 31, 2009 Including Oklahoma Session Laws for 2009 Historical Data Researched and Compiled by Planning & Research Division Oklahoma Department of Transportation FIRST PRINTING 1999 PRINCIPAL RESEARCHERS David R. Lopez Richard R. Sumpter Gary R. Howell ******** SECOND PRINTING UPDATED 2001 ******** THIRD PRINTING UPDATED & REDESIGNED 2004 Featured C. B. Memminger Bridge on Cover ******** FOURTH PRINTING UPDATED 2005 Featuring Carl Albert Bridge on Cover ******** FIFTH PRINTING UPDATED & REDESIGNED 2008 Featuring Joe M. Morgan Memorial Bridge on Cover ******** SIXTH PRINTING UPDATED 2009 Featuring Richard D. Newkirk Bridge on Cover 2 Table of Contents Front Cover Photo............................................................................................................................ 4 Forward............................................................................................................................................. 7 Section One - Laws & Policy Transportation Policy for Dedications and Commendations Title 730 Section 15-1-9 (OAC) Legislative Commemorations and Types of Legislation Section Two - Signs & Monuments Typical Examples Present Memorial Signing Typical Examples Past Memorial Monuments Section Three - Chronological Guide Chronological Guide to Memorial Highways & Bridges Biographical Sketches of Persons Honored Section Four - Memorial Map Map of Oklahoma’s Memorial Highways & Bridges Section Five - Master Index Alphabetic Index to Memorial Highways and Bridges Index According to Highways 3 PHOTO ON THE FRONT COVER The Richard D. Newkirk Bridge at Fort Gibson Lake on SH 51 in Wagoner & Cherokee Counties Photo by Transportation Staff Mike Baroli RICHARD D. NEWKIRK BRIDGE Senate Resolution Number 50 Approved May 17, 2002 WHEREAS, Richard D. “Dick” Newkirk was born March 14, 1918, to J. E. Newkirk and Jeanettta Terrell. He graduated from Sperry High School and married Lorraine Miller on December 28, 1941; and WHEREAS, during World War II, Richard Newkirk turned down an assignment with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Riley, and instead, enlisted and served with the Ninth Air Corps in England, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant. A gunnery instructor, he was credited with several innovations, including design of a sight that enhanced the ability of pilots to skip bombs into caves in the North Atlantic where enemy U-boats were hidden; and WHEREAS, after the War, Richard D. Newkirk moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, and served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers for three years, surveying the land that would become Fort Gibson Lake; and WHEREAS, although possessing only a high school education, Richard D. Newkirk achieved certification as a Professional Civil Engineer and a Professional Land Surveyor; and WHEREAS, Richard D. Newkirk joined the Oklahoma Department of Transportation as a laborer earning 35 cents an hour. He served for 45 years, retiring in 1987 as Division Engineer of Division One, after holding that position for 13 years; and WHEREAS, Richard D. Newkirk’s legacies include the Shawnee Bypass, the Nat Irish Freeway, the Southeast (Peak Boulevard) Bypass, and the bridge crossing the railroad track which enters the OG&E plant in Muskogee, Oklahoma; and WHEREAS, Richard D. Newkirk was very active in community affairs. He was a member of the Muskogee Park Board in the 1950s and a member of the Board of Directors of Commercial National Bank. He also served as Chair of the Muskogee Red Cross. Richard was a member and Chair of the Muskogee Port Authority for a period of 16 years and served for 23 years as a member of the General Hospital Board. In these positions, he was instrumental in the development of the Port of Muskogee and the Muskogee Regional Medical Center; and WHEREAS, Richard D. Newkirk was a 32nd Degree Mason and past Director of Muskogee Court of Jesters #99. His charitable endeavors included the Bedouin Shrine Temple and the Shrine Circus; and WHEREAS, Richard D. Newkirk was an avid sportsman, an excellent marksman and fisherman. In his youth he played semi- professional baseball as a shortstop for several coporate teams in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the 1930s; and WHEREAS, Richard D. Newkirk died at his lake home near Muskogee, Oklahoma, on Monday, August 17, 1998, at 80 years of age. He was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Oklahoma Good Roads and Streets Association. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 2nd SESSION OF THE 49TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE: THAT the Oklahoma State Senate praises Richard D. Newkirk’s dedicated service to the people and State of Oklahoma. THAT the Oklahoma State Senate directs the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to designate the Fort Gibson Bridge east of Wagoner, Oklahoma, and west of Hulbert, Oklahoma, on State Highway 51, the “Richard D. Newkirk Bridge”. THAT the Oklahoma State Senate directs the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to place permanent, suitable markers upon the bridge bearing his name. THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to Richard D. Newkirk’s two daughters, Judy Newkirk Kelley and Jill Newkirk Gotcher; his son, Richard Terrell Newkirk; and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Taken from Senate Resolution Number 50, Oklahoma Session Laws, 2002. 4 Richard D. Newkirk Bridge over Fo rt Gibson Lake Wagoner I Cherokee County Line Richard D. Newkirk Division One Engineer 1918-1998 45 years of service to Oklahoma Department of Transportation Forward This report is published by the Planning & Research Division of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation for distribution to the State Legislature, Transportation Commission and Department Administrative personnel. The chronology lists memorial highways, bridges, and other special named routes that have been designated by the State Legislature and the Oklahoma Transportation Commission since 1933. Its primary purpose is to inform the reader of existing named facilities and the prevention of duplicate or multiple commemorations for the same section of highway or bridge site. Commemorative designations for sections of Oklahoma’s Turnpike System other than the Turner and Will Rogers are not listed. Copies of Legislative and/or Transportation Commission actions pertaining to specific Memorial Highways and Bridges may be obtained upon request from the Planning & Research Division Engineer. Current Transportation Commission policy for dedications and commendations is presented under Title 730, Section 15-1-9 of the Oklahoma Administrative Code. A (PIC) symbol in the chronology sections of this report indicates that photographic documentation is available for a particular commemorative highway or bridge. These pictures may be viewed on the Oklahoma Department of Transportation website at http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/memorial/index.htm. To date, three hundred and twenty-six (326) memorial designations have been placed on roads and bridges within the state to honor and commemorate Oklahomans and Americans from all walks of life. From Martin Luther King, Jr. to Shannon Miller and Jim Thorpe of Olympic fame, Oklahoma acknowledges the outstanding contributions of its citizens and fellow Americans. Some monuments of commemorations listed in this book may not presently exist, or the location description appears to have changed. Monuments might have been destroyed due to widening, reconstruction, or relocation of a highway or bridge. A few monument plaques have been stolen, vandalized, or moved to nearby museums or historic sites. After a highway designation has been removed from a commemorative roadway, the local jurisdiction may continue to honor the designated road, street, or bridge. To obtain a copy of this report or gain more information about a named highway or bridge, contact the Planning & Research Division of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, 200 N. E. 21st Street, Room 3A-7, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105-3204. 7 Section One Laws and Policy Transportation Policy of Dedications and Commendations OAC 730: 15-1-9 Legislative Commemorations Types of Legislation LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATIONS Before a Bill or Resolution is written for memorial highway or bridge commemoration signs, consideration should be made of the cost and potential safety hazard of signs. Based on estimates made in 2004, two (2) memorial highway or bridge signs cost approximately $400 to fabricate and install. This figure does not include the maintenance involved for keeping the sign in place, mowing around the signs, or the potential hazard it poses to the motoring public. Highways and bridges should not have multiple commemorative designations, therefore, a request for a memorial commemoration should not be made on a highway or bridge that is currently designated in honor of a person or a group. The maps and index in this book are quite helpful in finding which highways or bridges have currently been commemorated. After legislation is in place to name a highway or bridge, the Bill or Resolution is presented at the following regularly scheduled Oklahoma Transportation Commission meeting. Upon approval of the Commission, the commemoration signs are ordered and fabricated through the Oklahoma Department of Transportation sign shop and shipped to the