Saturday, October 29, 2005
YOUNGSTOWN -- The 711 connector was finally opened to traffic earlier this week after years of planning, and now the highway officially has a name.
The connector has been named after a longtime resident and politician in the Youngstown area -- Robert E. Hagan. Several of Hagan's family members including his widow Ada DiLoreto Hagan and his sons, Jim Hagan and state Sen. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-64th, attended the highway's dedication.
The elder Hagan grew up on Youngstown's East Side and ran a business on the city's North Side. He served as a Trumbull County commissioner and a state representative.
According to Sen. Hagan, the naming was the idea of state Sen. Mark Mallory, who is running for mayor of Cincinnati. Hagan said his and Mallory's fathers both served as state representatives at the same time.
Hagan said the bridge is a good example of his father's life.
"This is a real symbol of bridging the community and showing how a community can come together," he said. "My dad always felt that people have to come together for a common purpose. The bridge is a symbol of what we must do to save our community."
Hagan called the bridge a wonderful attribute to a man who dedicated his life to public service.