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Senator J. Frank Deem Memorial Bridge to be dedicated on May 17

Change from Juliana Street Bridge

Photo by Paul LaPann The eastbound section of the Juliana Street Bridge will be dedicated as the Senator J. Frank Deem Memorial Bridge on May 17.

PARKERSBURG — The Juliana Street Bridge in Parkersburg will be dedicated as the Senator J. Frank Deem Memorial Bridge during a ceremony at 1 p.m. May 17.

People are invited to gather in the Matheny Motors parking lot, 315 Ann St., for the ceremony.

Deem, a delegate and former state senator for 48 years, serving in every decade since the 1950s, passed away Oct. 10, 2018.

Delegate John Kelly, R-Wood, was the lead sponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 2, which was introduced Jan. 9 at the state Capitol, to rename the Juliana Street Bridge the Senator J. Frank Deem Memorial Bridge. The Legislature adopted the resolution in its recent session.

In the request to the Division of Highways, the House members noted that the Juliana Street Bridge carries W.Va. 68 over the Little Kanawha River and U.S. 50 in Wood County.

Photo by Paul LaPann The westbound section of the Juliana Street Bridge at Third Street in Parkersburg will be dedicated as the Senator J. Frank Deem Memorial Bridge on May 17.

Kelly said Deem was his teacher, mentor and friend.

The West Virginia House of Delegate also paid tribute to Delegate Deem, R-Wood, with House Resolution 7 presented to family members at the Capitol on Jan. 23.

Deem’s wife, Becky, said it means a lot to her to see her husband recognized.

“He had a long successful career,” she said. “He loved the process, the debates” in the state Legislature, Becky Deem said.

Frank said it was a privilege to have a voice and vote in the legislative process, according to Becky.

Kelly expects the signs on both sides of the Juliana Street Bridge to be similar to the ones placed on the East Street Bridge, over the Little Kanawha River in Parkersburg, that was renamed the William P.A. Nicely Memorial Bridge in honor of the former mayor and member of the House of Delegates.

House Concurrent Resolution 2 also noted that Deem was a successful businessman, was a supporter of the Ritchie County Golf Program, the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg, the Parkersburg Art Center, the WVUP Foundation, the Rotary Foundation and the West Virginia Symphony.

The resolution stated Deem had been named Oil and Gas Man of the Year, received the Distinguished WV Award, received an honorary degree from WVU-Parkersburg and was recognized as a Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow.

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