List of places named after Robert Byrd

United States Senate portrait of Robert C. Byrd, circa 2003.

United States Senator Robert C. Byrd (November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) represented the U.S. state of West Virginia as a Democrat in the United States Senate. During his tenure as chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, Byrd secured billions of dollars of Federal funds for projects throughout West Virginia, many of which bear his name.[1][2][3] Byrd served four terms as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee: January 3, 1989 through January 3, 1995; January 3, 2001 through January 20, 2001; June 6, 2001 through January 3, 2003; and January 3, 2007 through January 3, 2009. As a New Deal Democrat, Byrd used his position as chairman to battle persistent poverty in his home state of West Virginia, which he referred to as “one of the rock bottomest of states.”[4] "I lost no opportunity to promote funding for programs and projects of benefit to the people back home," said Byrd.“[4] Within two years of his chairmanship, Byrd surpassed his announced five-year goal of making sure more than $1 billion in Federal funds was sent back to West Virginia.[5] In referring to his economic contributions to West Virginia, Byrd said in 2000, "West Virginia has always had four friends: God Almighty, Sears Roebuck, Carter's Liver Pills and Robert C. Byrd."[3]

Byrd's steering of billions of Federal dollars to West Virginia earned him the sobriquets "King of Pork" by the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Citizens Against Government Waste[6] and "Prince of Pork" from other taxpayer groups.[3] According to Citizens Against Government Waste, Byrd was the first legislator to bring $1 billion of "pork" spending to his home state.[3] The group named Byrd its initial "Porker of the Year" in 2002.[3]

In addition to providing Federal funding to special projects, Byrd also ensured that many Federal complexes were built in West Virginia, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services Division complex in Clarksburg, the United States Coast Guard's National Maritime Center in Kearneysville, and a training center and firing range for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers near Harpers Ferry.[1] Clarksburg's FBI facility was the first of the major Federal complexes to be built under Byrd's leadership as chairman of the appropriations committee.[3] In West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, Byrd helped bring ten federal facilities that employed more than 3,200 people.[7] None of these facilities are named for him, however.[1]

The Clifford Hollow Bridge carries the Robert C. Byrd Highway over Clifford Hollow near Moorefield, West Virginia.

More than 50 buildings built with funds from his economic contributions to West Virginia are named for either Byrd or his wife, Erma Ora Byrd (née James).[2] Several transportation projects named for Byrd have gained national notoriety, including the Robert C. Byrd Highway.[8] Also known as "Corridor H" of the Appalachian Development Highway System, the highway was dubbed "West Virginia's road to nowhere" in 2009 after it received a $9.5 million earmark in the $410 billion Omnibus Appropriations Act.[8] The highway received another $21 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[8] Critics argued the traffic on the highway was too light and the cost too high for the project to continue construction until its proposed completion in 2035.[8] The State of West Virginia argued the highway was necessary as "an ideal evacuation route for Washington, about 100 miles away, in case of an emergency."[8]

Academia, science, and technology

The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia.

Commerce

Community

Government

Healthcare

Recreation and tourism

Transportation

The Robert C. Byrd Bridge crossing the Ohio River between Huntington, West Virginia and Chesapeake, Ohio.

Erma Ora Byrd

The Erma Byrd Higher Education Center at Concord University's Beckley Campus in Beaver, West Virginia.

The following places are named after Robert Byrd's wife, Erma Ora Byrd:

References

  1. 1 2 3 Smith, Vicki (2010-06-28). "Pork or progress? Either way, Byrd changed WVa". The Washington Post.
  2. 1 2 Gerhart, Ann; Anne E. Kornblut (2010-07-03). "At memorial service, West Virginia says farewell to 'Big Daddy' Robert C. Byrd". The Washington Post website. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Moore, Greg (2010-06-28). "U.S. SEN. ROBERT C. BYRD DIES AT 92". The Charleston Gazette website. The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  4. 1 2 Clymer, Adam (2010-06-28). "Robert C. Byrd, a Pillar of the Senate, Dies at 92". The New York Times website. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  5. ↑ Associated Press (2010-06-28). "Robert Byrd DEAD: West Virginia Democrat Was Longest Serving Senator In History". The Huffington Post website. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Citizens Against Government Waste (2010-07-01). "Projects Named For Senator Byrd". Byrd Droppings. Citizens Against Government Waste. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  7. ↑ Umstead, Matthew (2010-06-28). "Byrd's legacy lives on in West Virginia". The Herald-Mail website. The Herald-Mail. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Griffin, Drew; Turnham, Steve; CNN Special Investigations Unit (2009-03-12). "West Virginia's road to nowhere gets stimulus boost". CNN.com. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 Staff reports (2010-06-28). "Byrd's name is everywhere you look in W.Va.". The Charleston Gazette website. The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 WTRF-TV (2010-06-28). "Buildings, By-Ways and Bridge Carry Byrd's Name". WTRF-TV website. WTRF-TV; West Virginia Media Holdings, LLC. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  11. ↑ National Conservation Training Center (2010-06-28). "Byrd Legacy Remembered at NCTC". NCTC e-Journal. National Conservation Training Center. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  12. ↑ "Biotechnology Center – Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center Opens on 08/25/06". Marshall University College of Science. 2006. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  13. ↑ "Marshall University Nutrition and Cancer Center". Marshall University Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  14. ↑ Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies (2010). "Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies". Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies website. Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  15. ↑ Robert C. Byrd High School (2010-07-01). "Robert C. Byrd High School website". Robert C. Byrd High School. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) (2010-07-01). "Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) website". Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI). Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Chaddock, Gail Russell (2006-08-15). "Welcome to Byrd country". The Christian Science Monitor website. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  18. ↑ "Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center at Wheeling Jesuit University". National Technology Transfer Center, Wheeling Jesuit University. 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Page, Dan (2010-06-26). "Byrd's name leads way on W.Va. bridges, highways: More than 450 roads, spans honor citizens". Cumberland Times-News website. Cumberland Times-News. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  20. 1 2 3 Nugent, Jennifer (2010). "A Lifetime of Leadership: Senator Robert C. Byrd". West Virginia Executive website. West Virginia Executive; Executive Ink. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  21. ↑ Pisciotta, Marla (2008-10-24). "Byrd Dedicates New Buildings at ABL". State Journal website. State Journal; West Virginia Media Holdings, LLC. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  22. ↑ Concord University (2010). "Beckley Campus: Erma Byrd Center". Concord University Beckley Campus: Erma Byrd Center website. Concord University. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
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