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Portion of I-680 named for renowned Valley educator
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Shirley Eckley, of Hubbard, thanked the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society and the state legislature for work in getting a portion of Interstate 680 named after her great-great-great-grandfather, William Holmes McGuffey.
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Richard Scarsella, president of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society, discussed the importance of honoring McGuffey, a Mahoning Valley native and pioneer in education, decades after his death. A stretch of Interstate 680 was recently named the William Holmes McGuffey Memorial Highway, thanks to the historical society and state legislators.
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
The William Holmes McGuffey Memorial Highway is meant to be a reminder of the strong roots the legendary educator still has in the Mahoning Valley.
McGuffey was honored once more during a ceremony Tuesday at Fellows Riverside Gardens that officially named a portion of Interstate 680, stretching from the 711 Connector southeast to the state Route 7 exit, the William Holmes McGuffey Memorial Highway.
“It’s very unusual to have a highway named after anyone in Ohio,” said Richard Scarsella, president of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society. “We’ve continually been trying to keep his legacy alive for future generations.”
McGuffey, who grew up in the Youngstown area in the 1800s, is best-known for a series of textbooks called McGuffey Readers that became standardized reading texts for most schools in the country during the mid- to late 1800s.
The McGuffey name is a fixture in Youngs-town, and in addition to the highway, he lends his name to the William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School (formerly West Elementary School), the McGuffey Homestead at Mill Creek MetroParks and the William Holmes McGuffey Memorial Bridge, which takes McGuffey Road over Crab Creek, linking the city’s North and East sides, Scarsella said.
Scarsella said the renaming was made possible thanks to the efforts of members of the Ohio Legislature. He said the historical society had to petition the Ohio General Assembly.
“We had both the Ohio House and Senate submit legislation,” he said. “We’ve been working on it for two years. We came up with the idea, and luckily it came to pass.”
State Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd, said he along with local representatives such as Rep. Robert Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th, and Rep. Ron Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th, really pushed to get the legislation passed.
“People often ask, ‘What does this legislation actually do?’” Schiavoni said. “Every time someone drives by that sign on 680, it gives us all a reminder of the great things McGuffey did.”
Shirley Eckley, a third-generation McGuffey descendant, said her family is honored to have the stretch of highly traveled interstate named after her great-great-great-grandfather.
“It’s wonderful to keep his name alive, especially since he grew up in this area,” she said. “He felt all children should have the opportunity for education, and I think that’s the legacy he left behind.”