Jerry Falwell Parkway sign unveiled

The result of a resolution passed by Virginia lawmakers culminated at Williams Stadium on Sunday as thousands attending the Celebrate America event witnessed a special tribute to the life and legacy of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr.

Virginia Sen. Steve Newman and Del. Kathy Byron unveiled the Jerry Falwell Parkway sign, which will be placed on a portion of U.S. 460 in Lynchburg next week. Byron began the ceremony by reading the resolution voted on by the state legislature earlier this year.

“Jerry Falwell was a man of remarkable faith, vision, prayer, courage, leadership, and compassion, with a genuine love for others and a devotion to God and country that inspired goodness in the lives of millions of people, but he preferred to remain a simple man of the people who was just ‘Jerry’ to all who knew and loved him.” (Click here to read the entire resolution)

Shortly after the resolution was read, Newman spoke on the overwhelming support from the Commonwealth’s lawmakers to pass the resolution.

“There has never been more silence on the floor of the House nor on the floor of the Senate when those resolutions were read,” he said. “The majority leader and the minority leader both came to me after reading them and said, ‘Steve, we knew the man, but we never had any idea of the impact he had on everyday lives.’”

The state legislature passed House Joint Resolution No. 347, titled “Celebrating the Life of Jerry Laymon Falwell,” on Feb. 7, naming the section of U.S. 460 between the Monacan Bridge in Lynchburg and Wards Road in Campbell County in honor of the late Dr. Falwell.

After revealing the sign to the public, Sen. Newman and Del. Byron presented the Falwell family with a miniature version of the marker and a framed copy of the resolution.

At the ceremony’s conclusion, the Rev. Jonathan Falwell thanked the Virginia Legislature and addressed the crowd.

“My dad was obviously a man who passionately served his God and served his family. If we as a people could do everything we could to emulate my dad’s life and try to do and be the kind of person that he was, this nation would be a far better place to be.”