THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 16, 1994 TAG: 9409160551
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Amid the roar of Thursday afternoon rush-hour traffic on Interstate 64, the twin bridges spanning the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River were officially named after the late C. Roger Malbon Sr.
About 75 family members, friends, and state and local officials gathered on the grass next to the westbound lanes of the highway, between Indian River Road and I-264, to unveil a green and white sign recognizing Malbon, who died Aug. 15, 1993.
``Someone once said that Roger knew more about Virginia's roads than the map (the Virginia Department of Transportation) prints,'' former Commonwealth Transportation Board colleague G. Morris Wells said in his eulogy Thursday.
Malbon, one of the driving political forces in Virginia Beach from its inception in 1963 until his death, was named state highway commissioner by then-Gov. Charles S. Robb in 1985.
A Princess Anne County native, Malbon was elected sheriff in 1951. He helped to forge the merger that created Virginia Beach from a small resort town and the huge surrounding county. Malbon also became a successful businessman and served on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District Commission. ILLUSTRATION: Malbon
by CNB