Section 40. Louis E. Waller Memorial Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Louis Edward Waller was born September 10, 1928, in Marianna, the son of Louis T. and Hattie Davis Waller.
(2) Mr. Waller was a graduate of Washington High School and attended Carlisle Business School and the University of Pittsburgh and received an associate's degree from Dean Tech.
(3) In 1948, Mr. Waller was honorably discharged from the United States Army, where he served as administrator of company funds to all military units of Pennsylvania.
(4) On July 10, 1954, Mr. Waller married Shirley James of Buffalo, New York.
(5) Mr. Waller climbed the business ladder in the late 1950s, but also felt the need to ascend to a higher calling when, at the age of 31, he took office as president of the NAACP's Washington Branch in 1959.
(6) During his tenure as president of the NAACP's Washington Branch, Mr. Waller helped bring about a public discourse toward the elimination of de facto segregation in Washington's school system.
(7) In addition to the NAACP, nearly 40 different organizations benefited from Mr. Waller's direct leadership and philanthropic efforts over the years, including Washington Hospital, Washington Financial Bank, Waynesburg University and Washington County Community Foundation.
(8) Mr. Waller's strong religious faith guided his course in life, as he was a life-long member of Nazareth Baptist Church in Washington and served the church as a deacon and trustee.
(9) Mr. Waller passed away on February 20, 2009, at the age of 80.
(10) Posthumously, Mr. Waller was recognized with the Human Rights Lifetime Leadership Award by the NAACP's Washington Branch, and, most recently, the Washington County Historical Society created the Waller-McDonald Collection of African American History, in honor of Mr. Waller and fellow civil rights leader James R. McDonald.
(11) Most recently on March 11, 2020, Mr. Waller, along with five other honorees, was posthumously inducted into the Washington County Historical Society's Hall of Fame.
(b) Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key 44399, located on that portion of State Route 4049 over Interstate 70 in South Strabane Township, Washington County, is designated as the Louis E. Waller Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to traffic in both directions on the bridge.