(11-4-25) Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Charles A. Jones gathered in Van Wert Monday afternoon for a dedication ceremony honoring a former commander of the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
On October 28, 1970, Van Wert Patrol Post Commander Lt. James A. Kirkendall died in a crash involving two trucks on U.S. 33, just west of Saint Johns in Auglaize County. Lt. Kirkendall was traveling west on the rain-slicked road and clipped the left rear of a truck while changing lanes. His patrol vehicle spun into the eastbound lane and was struck by another truck. He was just 45 and was survived by his wife and two children, Mike and Lori.
Governor DeWine and Col. Jones joined members of Lt. Kirkendall’s family to unveil a memorial sign, dedicating the eastbound and westbound lanes of U.S. 33, between County Road 191 and Boundry Road in Auglaize County as the Lieutenant James A. Kirkendall Memorial Highway.
Governor DeWine said to those in attendance-
“Dedicating this highway in the name of Lieutenant Kirkendall is making a promise that we will never forget his sacrifice. A promise that his story will not fade with time and a promise that the values he lived by, service and courage, will continue to guide us as a state.”
Mercer County Outlook 