Indiana County bridges named for 14th Quartermaster reservist, astronaut candidate

A bridge that connects Westmoreland and Indiana counties has been renamed in honor of a local Army reservist who was killed in an Iraqi missile attack during Operation Desert Storm.

Gov. Tom Wolf last week signed legislation designating the Route 56 bridge over the Conemaugh River as the Specialist Beverly S. Clark Memorial Bridge. Clark, 23, of Armagh, Indiana County, was among 13 members of the Hempfield-based 14th Quartermaster Detachment who were killed in a Feb. 25, 1991, Scud missile strike on their barracks at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Clark, who joined the Army Reserves upon graduating from United High School, was serving with a water purification unit when the deadly missile hit.

A scholarship at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, named for Clark, is awarded annually to a student who is preparing for a teaching career.

The memorial to Clark is the result of a bill that was introduced by former state Sen. Don White before his recent retirement. Four other Indiana County bridges have similarly been renamed — three of them through legislation introduced by White, the other through an effort initiated in part by his successor, Sen. Joe Pittman.

“I am pleased that the bill was signed into law, and I will now work with PennDOT to ensure that the signs will soon be put in place to provide a lasting tribute to these individuals,” Pittman said in a news release.

The legislation approves the following bridge names:

• Dr. Patricia Hilliard Robertson Memorial Bridge, on Route 119 over Yellow Creek in Center Township.

Hilliard grew up in nearby Homer City. She earned her medical degree in 1989 and joined NASA’s Flight Medicine Clinic at the Johnson Space Center in 1997, before being selected for the astronaut corps. A mission specialist candidate, she provided ground support for the International Space Station Expedition-2 Crew and served as the office representative for the Crew Healthcare System.

She died on May 24, 2001, at age 38, from injuries suffered in a private plane crash in Manvel, Texas.

• PFC Ralph E. Dias Memorial Bridge, on Route 422 over Yellow Creek in Cherryhill Township.

A Medal of Honor recipient, Dias, of Shelocta, served in Company D, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force in Vietnam. He was killed on Nov. 12, 1969, at age 19, in combat in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam.

• PFC Martin J. Popson Memorial Bridge, on Route 403 over Dixon Run in Clymer.

Popson, of Penn Run, served in the Army in World War II. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest medal, for extraordinary heroism in action during the liberation of Manila.

• Private Chancy Franklin Davis Memorial Bridge, on Route 553 over Dutch Run in Pine Township.

A native of Alverda, Indiana County, Davis served with the 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific Theater of World War II. He was killed on Nov. 20, 1943, at age 19, in the Battle of Piva Forks, while defending against a Japanese counterattack against American landings at Torakina Bay in the Solomon Islands.