A portion of Interstate 76 in Portage County will be named in honor of an Ohio State Highway Patrol patrolman who died in 1972 the line of duty.
The Ohio House of Representatives concurred with the Ohio Senate last week on Substitute House Bill 81, which designates a portion of the interstate as “Patrolman William J. Keller Memorial Highway,” state Rep. Gail Pavliga of Portage County said in a news release.
“I am so happy for Patrolman Keller’s family that we are one step closer to ensuring his memory lives on,” she said.
On Oct. 14, 1972, Keller was struck by a pickup while conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 76 in Rootstown. Keller, a member of the Highway Patrol’s Ravenna post, was just 27 when he died, and had been serving for only 10 months. He was a graduate of the 93rd academy class…