David Hobson, who passed last year, joined the Ohio Senate in 1982, followed by an election to the U.S. House in 1990. Both times, Hobson replaced the seat of now-Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
During his time in office, Hobson played a large role in providing federal funding for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, as well as improving military housing.
Bob Hackett, former Ohio State Senator from Madison County and proponent of the bill, recalls in his testimony how Hobson was a great help to him.
“He was always extremely helpful to me in giving quality common sense advice,” Hackett writes in his testimony. “I personally cannot thank him enough for his great assistance on an ongoing basis. If you talked to people in his district they will always talk about what he has done for them. He accomplished so much that it was difficult to find a way to honor his legacy, but this bill will attempt to do that and it will last for generations in the future.”
Schafer, who saw Hobson as a mentor, explains in his testimony the significance of both roadways being named after Hobson.
“Without Congressman Hobson’s support, the Lancaster bypass would not exist today,” Schafer writes. “Traveling south of Lancaster and Columbus would take significantly longer and would be more dangerous than the bypass on US-33 that we have today. The second roadway will be dedicated on Interstate 70 in his hometown of Springfield near where Congressman Hobson and Carolyn, his loving wife of 65 years, resided.”
These roadways would join the vast collection of Ohio’s designated memorial highways. Some in the area include:
- Wright Brothers Memorial Highway (State Route 4)
- Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway (Interstate Route 75)
- Governor James M. Cox Bicentennial Roadway (State Route 744
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (U.S. Route 42)
- Forty-second Rainbow Division Memorial Highway (State Route 42)
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