_______________________, read first time and referred to Committee on
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the Indiana department
of transportation to name U.S. Highway 50 between Brownstown and
North Vernon in honor of Governor Edgar Whitcomb.
Whereas, Governor Edgar Whitcomb is a great Hoosier
and a great American;
Whereas, Governor Whitcomb was born in Hayden in
Jennings County on November 6, 1917;
Whereas, Governor Whitcomb attended Indiana University
until the outbreak of World War II;
Whereas, During World War II, Governor Whitcomb
served heroically in the Philippines;
Whereas, Governor Whitcomb was stationed at Clark Field
in the Philippines when it was attacked just days after the
strike on Pearl Harbor and was part of the defense of the
Philippines and until the fall of Bataan;
Whereas, Taken captive by the Japanese, Governor
Whitcomb endured brutal treatment, threats of death, and
confinement in a cramped cell;
Whereas, Finally freed in a prisoner exchange, Governor
Whitcomb eventually returned to the Philippines serving as
an aerial navigator;
Whereas, Governor Whitcomb wrote about his war
experiences in books entitled Escape from Corregidor and
On Celestial Wings;
Whereas, After the war was over, Governor Whitcomb
returned to Indiana University and completed his law degree
and practiced law in North Vernon, Seymour, and
Indianapolis for 14 years;
Whereas, It was during this time that Governor Whitcomb
began to develop a political base and first ran for public
office;
Whereas, In 1966, Whitcomb was elected Secretary of
State; in 1968, he was elected governor;
Whereas, Governor Whitcomb was inaugurated as the 43rd
governor of Indiana on January 13, 1969, and served for
four years;
Whereas, After leaving office, Governor Whitcomb served
as director of the Mid American World Trade Association
and resumed his law practice in Indianapolis;
Whereas, After retirement, Governor Whitcomb returned to
southern Indiana; and
Whereas, Governor Whitcomb served his state and his
country in time of war and peace; and he is a dedicated
Hoosier whose contributions to our state and nation will be
felt for generations to come: Therefore,
SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly recognizes and
honors the accomplishments of Governor Edgar Whitcomb and urges
the Indiana department of transportation to name that section of
Highway 50 between Brownstown and North Vernon in honor of
Governor Edgar Whitcomb.
SECTION 2. That the Principal Clerk of the House of
Representatives transmit copies of this resolution to the commissioner
of the Indiana department of transportation.