Dinkins Drive, next to the old General Motors plant in far west Shreveport, has been re-named.  It's now John Petterway, Jr., Boulevard. 

Petterway was a Shreveport resident who, when he passed away last September at the age of 102, was the oldest living World War II veteran in Caddo Parish and, perhaps, the whole state of Louisiana.  He was also one of the oldest living World War II veterans in the country.

Since 3/4 of the road is in Caddo Parish and the other 1/4 is in the City of Shreveport, the name change required companion ordinances passed by both the Caddo Parish Commission and the Shreveport City Council.  Those ordinances also required a waiver of the normal requirement that a road cannot be re-named to honor someone who is deceased until at least two years after that person's death.

Although she's now 100 years old herself, Petterway's widow and wife of 71 years, Alzetta Petterway, was on hand for the dedication along with many members of the Petterways' extended family.

John Petterway, Jr., Boulevard runs north-south, connecting West 70th Street and Antoine Boulevard.  Antoine Boulevard is the former General Motors Boulevard and was recently re-named in honor of the late C.C. Antoine.

photo of John Petterway Jr. Boulevard dedication
BlackBerry photo by John Lee
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