SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 18
(By Senators Rowe and McCabe)
Requesting the Division of Highways name the bridge on U. S. Route
60 spanning Kelly Creek in Cedar Grove, Kanawha County, the
"Dr. Otis K. Rice Bridge".
Whereas, Dr. Otis K. Rice, a native of Hugheston, Kanawha
County, was the son of the late Charles Orion and Mary Catherine
Belcher Rice; and
Whereas, Dr. Rice rose from humble beginnings to become one of
West Virginia's most distinguished teachers and scholars by
reaching countless West Virginians through his teachings and
textbooks; and
Whereas, Dr. Rice began teaching history at West Virginia
Institute of Technology in 1957 and retired in 1997 as Dean of the
School of Humanities and Sciences, with the title of Professor
Emeritus of History; and
Whereas, Dr. Rice, known as one the fathers of West Virginia
history, is credited with writing many of the definitive books on
West Virginia, including
The Allegheny Frontier;
West Virginia:
The State and Its People;
Frontier Kentucky;
The Hatfields and the
McCoys;
Charleston and the Kanawha Valley;
West Virginia, A
History;
History of Greenbrier County;
History of Lewisburg
Methodist Church;
A History of West Virginia Banking, which he coauthored with Steve Brown; and
A History of the Sheltering Arms
Hospital, which he coauthored with Wayne Williams; and
Whereas, Dr. Rice was the recipient of many awards, including
Associate of the Danforth Foundation in 1968, which recognizes
outstanding teaching and concern for students; the first annual
Award of the West Virginia Humanities Council; the first Virgil A.
Lewis Award of the West Virginia Historical Society; Centennial
Alumnus of the Year from Morris Harvey College in 1988; Vice
Chairman of the Kanawha Bicentennial Commission of 1988; Alumnus of
the Year from West Virginia Institute of Technology in 1991;
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from West Virginia
University; and the first Governor's Award for Contributions to
Culture, History and the Arts; and
Whereas, Dr. Rice was named West Virginia's first Historian
Laureate by Governor Bob Wise on July 22, 2003; and
Whereas, The lifetime contributions of Dr. Rice, who passed
away September 22, 2003, at the age of 84, will extend long into
the future, if not forever; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the Division of Highways
name the bridge on U. S. Route 60 spanning Kelly Creek in Cedar
Grove, Kanawha County, the "Dr. Otis K. Rice Bridge"; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby
requested to erect appropriate signage at the entryway of each end of the bridge with a prominent and legible inscription; 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 Alma Rice, Rosalie Rice and
Sarah Lee Skaggs, sisters of the late Dr. Otis K. Rice.
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