CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An emotional floor session in the House of Delegates Friday as members marked two tragic events in the Mountain State.
The House honored the memory of Nicholas County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Baker in a memorial resolution.
Baker was shot n the line of duty on June 3, 2022 during a shootout that occurred while he and another deputy were attempting to execute a search warrant at a residence on Birch River. He was pronounced dead that night at Summersville Regional Medical Center.
“Be it resolved by the House of Delegates that the members of the House of Delegates of the 86th Legislature hereby publicly note the life, accomplishments and service of Nicholas County Deputy Sheriff Thomas “Tom” Edward Baker, who gave his life in the line of duty protecting the citizens of Nicholas County, West Virginia,” House Clerk Steve Harrison read from the memorial resolution.
Baker’s wife and other family members were on hand.
75 Memorial Day
The House also passed a HB 2412, “Declaring November 14 every year, a special Memorial Day in remembrance of the Marshall University airplane crash.”
Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, read the names of all 75 victims.
“During that tragedy the whole country actually stopped and came together,” Hornbuckle said during brief floor remarks. “It was arguably the largest tragedy and incident in NCAA history.”
Hornbuckle said he annually attends the Memorial Fountain Service each November on the Marshall campus.
“No matter how old, how young, where you come, there’s rarely a dry eye in the crowd but the underlying issue is there’s also unity,” Hornbuckle said.
According to the wording of the bill, “The Governor shall, by proclamation, declare November 14 as a special memorial day to be known as Marshall University 75 Memorial Day honoring the 75 persons who were killed in that tragic crash, and shall encourage all counties and municipalities in the state to do the same.”
The bill now heads to the Senate.