Walnut Hill interchange named for Lebder
Former Fayette County Commissioner and Democratic Party Chairman Fred Lebder was honored Friday with the renaming of a highway interchange.
The Walnut Hill Interchange on Route 119 is now also the Fred L. Lebder Interchange.
“It’s quite an honor. I thought it was very nice and it was very emotional for me. It was very difficult for me, with Norma passing away,” Lebder said , referring to his late wife to whom he had been married for 70 years.
The honorary naming was the suggestion of state Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-Dunbar, who is retiring this year. The Kasunic-sponsored bill passed the legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett in June.
“it was time to honor him while he’s still alive. Too often we wait until someone has passed,” Kasunic said. “He lives real close by it.”
Lebder said he travels that way often and is touched by having the local interchange bear his name.
“Fred dedicated his life to public service and he was a great leader,” Kasunic said. “He’s just a good person and a good humanitarian. A lot of his deeds went unsung. He never sought publicity,” Kasunic said.
Kasunic recalled the winter of 1976-77, with heavy snows and a fuel shortage going on, noting that Lebder organized volunteers to clear access to shut-ins.
“Fred made sure people stayed warm, organizing volunteers to deliver 50 gallons of fuel at a time to keep their furnaces going,” Kasunic said.
According to Kasunic, Lebder served as a Fayette County Commissioner for some 28 years, and was chairman of the Fayette County Democratic Party for 45 years.