STATEHOUSE (Feb. 18, 2010) - State senators today recognized the achievements of a Blackford County native who piloted a successful shuttle mission to the International Space Station.

State Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle) authored a resolution acknowledging Col. Kevin A. Ford and urging the Indiana Department of Transportation to name a stretch of State Road 18 in Ford’s honor. Holdman’s resolution specified the roadway in Blackford County will be named the “Colonel Kevin A. Ford Highway.”

“Col. Kevin Ford is a true hero, not only to Hoosiers, but to citizens of the United States,” Holdman said. “The crucial missions he carried out, both in space and on the ground, show his dedication to mankind’s search for knowledge beyond our immediate horizons.”

From Aug. 28 to Sept. 11, 2009, Ford served as pilot during a shuttle mission to deliver 15,000 pounds of supplies and scientific equipment to the International Space Station (ISS). After his return, Ford served with the ISS Operation Branch as a flight communicator and worked to train space station crews for missions, a position he also held from January 2005 to July 2008.

Along with serving as a tribute to Ford’s achievements, Holdman said the highway would bear special significance for the people of his district.

Holdman assumed the Senate District 19 seat after Ford’s brother, the late Sen. David C. Ford, died in 2008 from pancreatic cancer. In 2009, Holdman helped dedicate a 5.5 mile portion of State Road 3 as the “Sen. David C. Ford Memorial Highway.”

According to Holdman, the “Col. Kevin A. Ford Highway” will intersect with the “Sen. David C. Ford Memorial Highway” in Blackford County.

“I find it fitting that these two highways should meet at one intersection,” Holdman said. “Each of these highways will remind motorists for many years of the courage and service of two great Hoosiers.”

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