A local highway that once was named in honor of local attorney the late Rondal Cole now also bears the name of his brother, former State Representative the late Ralph Cole.
On Friday afternoon, a special dedication ceremony and sign unveiling was held to formally proclaim Highway 91 in the Stoney Creek community as the “Ralph and Rondal Cole Memorial Highway.”
Members of the Cole family were joined by friends and colleagues of the two brothers as well as local and state officials for the ceremony.
The process to change the name of the highway began in early 2015 when State Sen. Rusty Crowe, who had worked alongside Ralph Cole when he was a State Representative, contacted Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey and the Carter County Commission requesting the change.
“For some time now, I have been receiving input from a variety of constituents within the 3rd Senatorial District, that we find a way to honor the memory of the late Rep. Ralph Cole,” Crowe said in a letter to the Mayor and Commission. “With that in mind, and after conferring with many of our friends and Ralph’s family; it appears that the most appropriate approach might be to amend the Rondal Cole Highway to read the ‘Ralph and Rondal Cole Memorial Highway.’”
Members of the county’s Highway Committee reviewed the request and following a public hearing passed a motion to rename the highway. Because Highway 91 is a state highway, County Attorney Joshua Hardin drafted a resolution from the Commission asking the state to change the name of the highway. That resolution passed on a vote by the full Commission on May 18, 2015.
Once it was approved by the county, the request was then sent to the state, where Crowe, State Rep. John Holsclaw and State Rep. Timothy Hill took up the cause. In May of this year both houses of the Legislature approved adding Ralph Cole’s name to the highway alongside his brother’s.
“The ‘Rondal B. Cole Memorial Highway’ is hereby redesignated as the ‘Ralph and Rondal Cole Memorial Highway’ to honor esteemed brothers Ralph Cole, a well-regarded former State Representative and dedicated public servant, and Rondal Cole, a highly respected attorney from Elizabethton, for their service to their community and the citizenry of Tennessee,” states the bill changing the name of the highway.
At the ceremony on Friday, Humphrey read the resolution which had been passed by the County Commission.
“This is a very important occasion for us in Carter County,” Humphrey said, adding Ralph Cole had lived “a life of dedication and service.”
Crowe also shared a few words about the man he called friend and colleague.
“The entire Senate and House were very proud to do this,” Crowe said of the highway renaming. “Everybody loved Ralph. He cared for his constituents and he voted for things he felt were right, whether it hurt him or not.”
The renaming of the highway is an honor only and will not affect the addresses of any residents along Highway 91.