Trooper Alphonso J. Hedgepeth was killed nearly 80 years ago during a high-speed chase.

But his life and sacrifice will live on a bridge renamed Thursday in his honor.

More than 50 members of law enforcement, elected leaders, friends and family memebrs were on hand to witness the renaming of the bridge at U.S. 74 that goes over the U.S. 15-401 Bypass in memory of Hedgepeth, who died Oct. 23, 1931.

"The sacrifice he made is just as relevant today as it was the day he laid down his life," said Captain David Allen, Troop H Commander of the state Highway Patrol.

Chip Singletary, Hedgepeth's nephew, choked back tears as he thanked the state Department of Transportation for dedicating the bridge to his fallen uncle.

He said the family was "humbled and honored" by the designation.

Singletary described Hedgepeth as a "wild child," always following his heart with great enthusiasm.

The Rowland native had enrolled in the Navy without a second thought, and jumped on the thought of being a highway patrolman when the organization was expanded from 37 to 67 employees in 1931.

He also married a woman attending North Carolina College for Women in Greensboro without telling his family. In fact, no one else knew he had a wife until the day he died. The wedding was kept secret as married women were not allowed at the Greensboro college.

Leon McLean, another nephew of Hedgepeth, thought the ceremony went well and that Hedgepeth was worthy of the honor.

"(Hedgepeth) deserves any credit passed his way," McLean said.

Archie McRimmon, the only person at the event alive when Hedgepeth died, called the dedication a great honor.

"It means a whole lot to me and the family," he said.

McRimmon was 10 at the time and says his only real memory of his uncle was of Hedgepeth standing next to his state-issued Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Sgt. Jeff Grodon, spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said the state agency is working to get dedications for many of its fallen troopers. The agency has lost 61 men in the line of duty during its 81-year history.

"These are very important to the family," he said.

Mayor Matthew Block said that the dedication enforces the law and his own sacrifice while serving the state.

"This will ensure trooper Hedgepeth will not be forgotten," Block said.

On the night he died, Hedgepeth saw someone driving a Chrysler speed through a red light at the intersection 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.

He was rushed to Hamlet Hospital, suffering a broken left thigh, crushed knee, fractured skull and broken jaw bone. He was pronounced dead at around 9 p.m., becoming the second trooper to die in the line of duty.

Hedgepeth was credited with making the streets of Laurinburg safe. One published report said Laurinburg was considered the worst in the state for unsafe driving before Hedgepeth began working the area.