On Monday, street signs were unveiled to pay tribute to Dr. Arthur S. Flemming for his distinguished service to the country. Cheshire Road, south of downtown Delaware, from Braumiller Road to Glenn Parkway, has been given the honorary designation of Dr. Arthur S. Flemming Way.
Delaware City Council voted in August to erect the honorary signage.
Flemming first came to Delaware to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. Upon graduation, he began his career with the U.S. Civil Service Commission under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Flemming served as the secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, on the National Security Council, and chaired the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. He also chaired a committee that studied proposals for health insurance for older adults, which ultimately led to the creation of Medicare. He later returned to Delaware to become President of OWU.
Most notably, Flemming was a rare two-time recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a U.S. civilian can receive. He received his first medal from President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 and was again awarded the medal by President Bill Clinton in 1994.
The request to honor Flemming was brought to the Delaware City Council by Robert Horrocks, SourcePoint’s founding executive director, who retired in 2019.
“During Dr. Flemming’s remarkable career, he served for five years as the U.S. Commissioner on Aging,” said Horrocks. “This was a critical period after the passage of the Older Americans Act to encourage the development of senior centers, community-based services, and in-home care for our nation’s older population. I think it is a fitting tribute for Dr. Arthur S. Flemming Way to run in front of the home of SourcePoint, our local organization created to develop, fund, and provide the many services envisioned by Dr. Flemming.”
Flemming’s family, including his local grandson, John Speese, Ohio Wesleyan University, and SourcePoint voiced support for Horrocks’ proposal to the city council.
“Arthur S. Flemming was a role model for every American citizen when it comes to lifetime commitments to education, civil rights, and public service,” said Rock Jones, president of Ohio Wesleyan University. “As an Ohio Wesleyan graduate and a former president of OWU, we are thrilled to see a local street bearing his name. With his public service including the U.S. Commission on Aging, it is especially appropriate that this street is a pathway to SourcePoint.”
