Full Text:COPYRIGHT 2005 The Tampa Tribune

Tuesday November 22, 2005

Section METRO

Page 1

Skyway Officially 'Graham'

OTHER MAN ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO GET HONOR

By STEVEN ISBITTS and CARLOS MONCADA

The Tampa Tribune

ST. PETERSBURG - The Bob Graham/Sunshine Skyway Bridge was named for the former Florida governor and U.S. senator during a bridge-side dedication ceremony Monday.

Friends and family of the late Bill Dean, however, think the bridge still should be named for Dean, the former Florida chief of bridge design.

A 1970 law ordered the Florida Department of Transportation to erect signs naming the Skyway for Dean, known as the father of prestressed concrete, which was used to build part of the original Skyway in the early 1950s.

At Dean's 1970 dedication ceremony, a large, white sign with striking black letters was unveiled above Skyway traffic: "W.E. 'Bill' Dean Bridge." Bronzed concrete monuments honoring Dean were erected near the bridge approaches.

Dean was a friend and mentor to engineers worldwide. His son, John Dean, 67, still has the ceremony program in his Tallahassee home.

"My father saved the state a lot of money going with the prestressed concrete over conventional construction, and he would have enjoyed seeing his name on the Skyway," Dean said. "I'd like to see his name on it again."

Graham celebrated Monday with about 100 friends, family and former dignitaries alongside the Skyway near the Pinellas County toll booths. A bill passed this year named the bridge connecting Pinellas and Manatee counties for him.

As for the law that called for the Skyway's "main channelspan" to bear Dean's name, state officials said Monday that they are unsure whether it was nullified.

"We don't know what happened," said Kris Carson, a DOT spokeswoman. "There is no record of taking the sign or the name off the bridge, or [voiding] the law."

Dean's friends and family say his name was never part of the Sunshine Skyway after it was replaced in 1987. In 1980, a phosphate freighter rammed into a Skyway pier, and a 400-yard section of the southbound span plunged into Tampa Bay. Thirty-five people died in the accident.

Then-Gov. Graham lobbied to replace it with a $244 million Skyway, rather than repair the old one as many of his constituents favored. The new bridge was built with prestressed concrete, Dean's specialty.

"They just never dedicated the Skyway to Bill again," said Bill Godfrey, 78, a friend of Dean and a retired state engineer who worked for Dean for 16 years.

"Since Bill's dead, I guess it was an opportunity to name it after Bob Graham," Godfrey said. "It's a shame. Bill was a great gentleman and a humble man who was a real [engineering] pioneer."

Dean , who died of a heart attack while inspecting a bridge in 1965, had once been keynote speaker at the inaugural world convention on prestressed concrete.

Graham recalled Dean's accomplishments when asked Monday, and said he was fine with Dean's name disappearing from the Skyway.

He said the law naming the Skyway for Dean, which detailed his accomplishments, is an honor that can never be lessened or taken away. "So I guess he continues to be recognized," Graham said.

"Since Bill's dead, I guess it was an opportunity to name it after Bob Graham." BILL GODFREY

Friend of the late engineer Bill Dean

Researcher Christine Perry contributed to this report.

Copyright 2005, The Tampa Tribune and may not be republished without permission. E-mail library@tampatrib.com

CAPTION(S): Tribune photo by FRED FOX Bob Graham, former Florida governor and U.S. senator, pauses with his oldest granddaughter, Sarah Logan, at Monday's bridge-naming ceremony. Tribune photo by FRED FOX Bob Graham and his grandchildren examine the new bridge sign after it is unveiled.

Gale Document Number:CJ139619118