PRINTER'S NO. 3509
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2841
Session of
2022
INTRODUCED BY STRUZZI, BERNSTINE, COX, GILLEN, HENNESSEY, JAMES,
KINSEY, MILLARD, RYAN, SCHMITT, SMITH AND SONNEY,
SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
AN ACT
Designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 44052, carrying
State Route 3035 over Yellow Creek in Homer City, Indiana
County, as the Sgt. Walter F. Novak Memorial Bridge.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Sgt. Walter F. Novak Memorial Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) Walter F. Novak was born in Mecco on December 24,
1920.
(2) Sgt. Novak worked for R & P Coal Company in 1939 to
help with family finances instead of finishing high school.
(3) Sgt. Novak enlisted in the military on August 4,
1942, and joined the 101st Airborne 506 PIR "A" Company.
(4) Sgt. Novak completed elite paratrooper training at
Camp Toccoa in Georgia.
(5) Sgt. Novak's first combat jump was over Normandy on
June 5, 1944, and his second combat jump was during Operation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Market Garden on September 17, 1944, where he was hit with
flack and evacuated to have surgery, but later rejoined his
company in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge on
December 17, 1944.
(6) Sgt. Novak separated from the military on September
22, 1945, with an honorable discharge and ended his service
as a sergeant and squad leader.
(7) For his service, Sgt. Novak was awarded the Bronze
Star with two oak clusters, Purple Heart Medal, European-
African-Middle Eastern Service Medal with four bronze service
stars, two bronze arrowheads, two distinguished unit
citations, combat infantry badge, M-1 rifleman badge and
Thompson Submachine Gun Expert badge.
(8) After he finished his military service, Sgt. Novak
went back to work at the R & P Coal Company as a shuttle car
operator.
(9) Sgt. Novak married June Poole and they raised four
boys.
(10) Sgt. Novak passed the exam to become a First Grade
Assistant Mine Foreman and was also a plumber for a local
contractor.
(11) Sgt. Novak ran for Homer City town council and was
elected in 1960.
(12) Sgt. Novak was a member of the American Legion Post
493 in Homer City for 63 years and a life member of the VFW
Post 1989 in Indiana.
(13) Sgt. Novak passed away on January 3, 2008, at his
home after he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
(b) Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key
44052, carrying State Route 3035 over Yellow Creek in Homer
20220HB2841PN3509 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
City, Indiana County, is designated the Sgt. Walter F. Novak
Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to
traffic in both directions on the bridge.
Section 2. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20220HB2841PN3509 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7