JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – This morning the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight agreed to approve applications to give names to a bridge in Jennings, and roadways in Greene, St. Louis, and Barry Counties.
The bridge on State Highway 11 crossing over I-70 in Jennings will be named after Army First Sergeant Anthony Freedom. In June 2017, his mother Anginette Morgan completed the Heroes Way Naming Application Form, was sponsored by Rep. Cora F. Walker, and was unanimously approved earlier Wednesday.
The segment on Highway 60 East and Beard Street, Monett and 60 West Chapel Road in Barry County will be named after EOD Specialist Christopher Glen Stark. He was killed in February 2011 from an explosion while on active duty in Tangi, Afghanistan. Stark enlisted in the Army in August 2008 and fought in the War on Terrorism and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In April 2017, his mother Teresa Stark completed the Heroes Way Naming Application Form, was sponsored by Sen. David Sater, and was unanimously approved.
The interchange of I-70 with I-270 Exit 232 A and B in St. Louis County will be named after Sergeant Herbert Franklin Amrhein. He was killed in July 1969 by enemy fire on active duty in Thua Thein Province, South Vietnam. He began his career in August 1968 and fought in the Vietnam War. He is memorialized in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. In August 2017, Raymond Hahn completed the Heroes Way Naming Application, was sponsored by Rep. Mark Mathiesen, and was unanimously approved.
The Missouri Route 00 from MO 744 to CRD 249 in Greene County will be named after Samuel Wayne Easterly. He was killed in June 2016 by a distracted semi-truck driver who crashed into Easterly’s tractor. He was a farmer and loved going to auctions. Easterly loved exploring nature and being with his family. His brother Rex E. Easterly collected 121 signatures to petition that the name of the roadway be changed. He filled out the MoDOT memorial highway/bridge naming application in June 2017, was sponsored by Rep. Lyndall Fraker, and was unanimously approved.
Michael Layer is a reporter for the Missouri Times and the Missouri Times Magazine. He joined the Missouri Times in August 2017 after graduating from Goucher College the previous May. To contact Michael, email michael@themissouritimes.com or follow him on Twitter @_MichaelLayer
