By Rod Rowe
THE GOSHEN NEWS
April 14, 2009 11:45 am
—
The highway U.S. 33 in Elkhart County will be renamed to honor the late state senator from Goshen, Marvin Riegsecker, after state Senate action Monday.
The section of U.S. 33 through Elkhart County will be named “The Marvin D. Riegsecker Memorial Highway” to honor Riegsecker, who served in the Senate from 1987 through 2008. The Indiana Senate unanimously approved a resolution.
Riegsecker died Sept. 30, 2008 after an 18-month battle with cancer. His widow, Norma, and their two sons and family were present in the Senate Monday when Marvin was honored.
Before serving five terms in the state Senate, Riegsecker was Elkhart County coroner from 1976 to 1984 and served one term as a County Commissioner from 1984 to 1987. He was a Millersburg native, the first one in his family to graduate from high school and then completed a five-year program in pharmacology at the University of Colorado.
He married Norma, a Goshen native, in 1958 before they moved to Colorado for seven years. They returned to Elkhart County, where he began his long career as a pharmacist, then winning his first elected post in 1976.
The resolution to honor Riegsecker was sponsored by the senator who replaced him, Carlin Yoder, Goshen.
“Marvin was a real statesman, someone who put in years of work,” Yoder said today. “Not just down here, but also at home, I heard so much about what he did in representing District 12. I thought it was pretty important to honor him now.
“It was a neat little ceremony,” Yoder added. “It was fairly emotional. He was a good man. He had a lot of integrity.”
Former State Rep. John Ulmer said the highway naming is a great honor and well-deserved.”
Ulmer, who served 10 years in the state House, said Riegsecker helped him when Ulmer first went to Indianapolis.
“He showed me the ropes,” Ulmer said. “He was a good, dear friend. I was pleased for him. He was such a servant for Elkhart County.”
Ulmer pointed out that Riegsecker was coroner when the Elkhart County Prosecutor, Michael Cosentino, sued Ford Motor Co. in the “Pinto trial” 30 years ago. Ulmer was named a deputy prosecutor for that trial and worked with the county coroner during the 11-week trial.
David Hess, Elkhart County auditor, served four years on the county commission with Riegsecker and remembers their cooperation well.
“I thought an awful lot of Marvin,” Hess said. “We worked closely together. I had all the respect in the world for him. He and I kind of hit if off. We had total trust in each other’s judgement — that builds a good working relations with total trust.”
The highway will be named to honor Riegsecker from the St. Joseph County line to the Noble County line.
Similar action was taken a few years ago to honor the late Rep. Philip Warner by naming Ind. 4 in his memory.
Rep. Jackie Walorski, Jimtown, said she thought the highway naming is a great tribute to Riegsecker and the work he has done.
“Before I ran for office, I met with him and he said he wanted me to help in his fight for highways,” Walorski remembered.
She said he was instrumental in obtaining funding for U.S. 33 and also supported the plans to improve U.S. 31. She said the “massive legislation” were priorities for Riegsecker and her.
“It is a lasting memento,” Walorski said. “I am grateful they did that.”
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