SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 46
(By Senator Chafin)
Requesting the Division of Highways name the portion of U. S. Route
52 from Taylorville Road, Mingo County, to the foot of
Horsepen Mountain the "R. A. West Highway".
Whereas, R. A. West was born on March 12, 1947, in the town of
Varney, Mingo County; and
Whereas, R. A. West married Marsha Lowe of Williamson, Mingo
County, and took a position as a fireman with the Norfolk and
Western Railroad. Soon thereafter, he became the youngest person
to be promoted to the position of engineer; and
Whereas, At the age of 22, despite the fact that his firstborn
son was paralyzed due to injury at birth and was confined to a
wheelchair, R. A. West, driven by his religious convictions, heeded
the call to the evangelical ministry and resigned his job with the
railroad, thus forfeiting his job-related medical benefits while
costly medical bills associated with the condition of his son
continued to mount, thereby evidencing his unshakable religious
faith; and
Whereas, Once he began proselytizing, and due to his
unquestioning faith and religious fervor, R. A. West was never
content with evangelizing solely on Sundays, but instead
evangelized an average of 300 times each year, continuing this amazingly torrid pace for the first 15 years of his ministry; and
Whereas, The R. A. West Ministry expanded into radio and
television throughout the United States and 80 foreign countries,
spreading a constructive and positive message to millions of human
beings; and
Whereas, In spite of his national and world acclaim, R. A.
West never abandoned nor distanced himself from his humble origins,
nor from his beloved Varney, Mingo County, nor from his family,
friends and parishioners; and
Whereas, R. A. West, as a direct result of his good and
fruitful work, became one of the most respected unofficial
ambassadors of this state, a fact which was commemorated by former
Governor Jay Rockefeller; and
Whereas, Sadly, R. A. West was killed on July 6, 2002, in a
motorcycle accident. His funeral was the largest ever conducted in
southern West Virginia, drawing approximately 2,000 people from all
over the United States who gathered to pay their last respects; and
Whereas, The residents of Varney, Mingo County, as well as
people from all over the United States and in foreign countries
where Reverend West's message of peace, love and faith was
broadcast, shall never forget his towering spirit and his dedicated
fervor in sharing his religious faith; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the Division of Highways name the portion of U. S. Route 52 from Taylorville Road, Mingo
County, to the foot of Horsepen Mountain the "R. A. West Highway";
and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Legislature hereby requests the
Division of Highways place signs at each end of that portion of the
highway identifying it as the "R. A. West 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
members of the late Reverend R. A. West.
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