SC H3938

Requests the South Carolina Department of Transportation name South Charleston Road in Darlington County from Piano Road to the Darlington/Florence County line as "Dr. Melvin Leroy Howard Memorial Highway"

Dr. Howard was the first African American to achieve the rank of lieutenant colonel in the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the first African American to serve as its interim commander

Dr. Howard served in the U.S. Army (1975-1981) and South Carolina Army National Guard (1984-2005), retiring as a lieutenant colonel after service in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom

His law enforcement career spanned from the Timmonsville Police Department to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, where he rose from trooper to second in command overseeing 910 troopers

Dr. Howard earned degrees from Liberty University, Troy State University, and a doctorate from Capella University; he passed away on March 11, 2015