A Laurinburg patrolman died in the line of duty when his motorcycle wrecked during a high-speed pursuit nearly 80 years ago.

Now the state Highway Patrol wants to commemorate his sacrifice by dedicating a bridge to him.

State and local officials will gather at 11 a.m. today at Multitutdes Church, 14301 Jim Calhoun Road, to name the bridge on U.S. 74 Bypass that overpasses U.S. 15-401 Bypass in memory of Alphonso J. Hedgepeth. State and local officials are expected to speak.

Hedgepeth left his Hospital Apartments home on Church Street a little after 8 p.m. on Oct. 23, 1931, when someone driving a Chrysler sped through a red light on the corner of Church and Main streets, according to published reports. The 27-year-old trooper gave chase on his Harley Davidson, reaching speeds of more than 80 mph while pursuing the car.

Then, when he was rounding an S-curve on Church Street, his bike veered from the road to the right, striking a telephone pole. The trooper was flung from his motorcycle and laid near the road until help arrived.

The cause of the accident is unknown, but two speculative theories emerged. One possibility is that he lost control of his bike around the turn, the other is he was blinded by oncoming headlights and was unable to tell where the road was.

Several Laurinburg residents rushed to the scene when they heard the wreck, finding Hedgepeth bleeding profusely with labored breathing. As an ambulance and a doctor came to aid the patrolman, a crowd gathered.

When the ambulance took Hedgepeth to Hamlet Hospital, a fleet of cars followed. The officer was admitted to the hospital with a broken left thigh, crushed knee, fractured skull and broken jaw bone.

He was pronounced dead at around 9 p.m., becoming the second Highway Patrolman to die in the line of duty.

Hedgepeth's funeral was in his native Rowland two days later, with 2,000 people or more attending the service. The entire patrol came, acting as pallbearers and honor guard for their fallen comrade.

He was described in the paper as an amiable young man, well liked in Laurinburg despite only serving in the city for a few weeks before his death. He had worked for the Highway Patrol for less than four months at the time, having served as an officer in Rowland for a year prior and spent four years in the Navy.

One published report said Hedgepeth made great headway in cleaning up the streets of Laurinburg. Before he came, it was considered the worst in the state for unsafe driving. He put a stop to many of the unlawful driving practices, like drunk driving, cars driving without headlights and children driving.

Patrol officials conducted an investigation into the road, taking fault with the Confederate Monument that at the time was in the middle of the intersection of Church and Main streets. The agency requested the monument be moved as it was a traffic hazard that reduced visibility. The request noted that there were one to two accidents at the intersection each week.

There had been growing public concern about the intersection in years prior to the accident and the Laurinburg City Council approved moving the statue the next month.

The patrol also took issue with a lack of signage warning motorists about the S-curve.

Leon McLean, Hedgepeth's nephew, says he's glad his uncle is finally being recognized.

"You see of the troopers that have been honored with the naming of the bridge," McLean said. "I think it's an honor that is long past due."