Eugene Prince Road signs dedicated

Signs denoting the newly-renamed Senator Eugene Prince Road were unveiled in a ceremony in the Whitman County commissioners’ meeting room Tuesday morning.

Friends, family and dignitaries attended the ceremony for the late legislator, a native of the Sunset area, who was remembered for his bipartisan leadership style and his commitment to transportation.

“I just wish he was here,” Patsy Prince, Sen. Prince’s widow, said before pulling a black cloak off the six-foot sign.

Sen. Prince died in October, 2007, at the age of 77.

The road, previously Barnes Cut-off Road, runs west toward Prince’s home near Sunset from Highway 195, intersecting at the north end of Cashup Flat.

“Sen. Prince made our state a better place,” Gov. Chris Gregoire wrote in an official letter read by Keith Metcalf, east region administrator for the state Department of Transportation.

“What better way to remember him than by naming a road?” asked Commissioner Greg Partch.

Current 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler praised Mr. Prince’s commitment to transportation in a letter read by Partch.

Prince began his career in state government as a bill clerk in 1959 before working his way up to become Sergeant-at-Arms in the House of Representatives.

He then served as representative from 1980 to 1992, when he was elected to the state Senate. He served in the senate until he resigned in 1999. He was then appointed by then-Gov. Gary Locke to the state Liquor Control Board, where he served until 2005.

He also served as president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and was a member of the Washington Wheat Commission.

Those in attendance Tuesday remembered Sen. Prince for his ability to coordinate with members of the opposition party to get projects done.

“Gene was a real gentleman who always shared civility as a legislator,” wrote Schoesler.

Commissioner Michael Largent said Sen. Prince was influential in his political carrer. He grew up with a sign from Prince’s first campaign for state representative in his closet.

“I often quote Gene and think of him when I make decisions, even now,” said Largent.

Partch said the road was previously named for an old railroad siding on Cashup. There was, said Partch, no Barnes family that lived in the area.

State highway crews replaced the signs last month in advance of Tuesday’s ceremony. They have since been covered with black bags to obscure the name.

“For a short time, it looked pretty good up there,” said Patsy Prince.