TO THE HONORABLE LYNN PETERSON, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, AND TO THE WASHINGTON STATE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, AND TO THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, Philip Martin Lelli's work and commitment to the Port of Tacoma helped transform the port into the fifth largest container port in North America, to the benefit of the port, its employees, surrounding businesses, the city of Tacoma, Pierce County, and the State of Washington; and

WHEREAS, Philip Martin Lelli was a longshoreman, union activist, local philanthropist, and past president of the International Longshore Warehouse Union Local 23 in Tacoma, a position he was reelected to an unprecedented seventeen times; and

WHEREAS, Philip Martin Lelli worked with fellow union members, business leaders, and Republican and Democratic legislators alike in a collaborative manner with the goal of making the Port of Tacoma one of the greatest shipping ports in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Philip Martin Lelli helped revolutionize Tacoma's waterfront by advocating for greater labor force efficiency and technical innovation on the docks; and

WHEREAS, Philip Martin Lelli played a critical role in the late 1960s when the Port of Tacoma transitioned away from manual cargo unloading to the modern shipping container and crane system we see today; and

WHEREAS, For the first time in Puget Sound history a port executive and union president teamed up when Philip Martin Lelli and E.L. Roy Perry, the Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Tacoma, joined forces to attract more business to the Port of Tacoma; and

WHEREAS, Together, Philip Martin Lelli and E.L. Roy Perry traveled around the world promising fast and efficient service and successfully attracted and recruited huge shipping lines to the Port of Tacoma, including Totem Ocean Express, SeaLand, and Maersk; and

WHEREAS, Philip Martin Lelli was appointed commissioner to the Port of Tacoma in 1993 and served as the president of the Tacoma Propeller Club where in 1982 he was awarded its highest accolade, the title of Master Mariner, for his ability to recruit new business to the Port of Tacoma; and

WHEREAS, The Seattle Propeller Club honored Philip Martin Lelli with the Puget Sound Maritime Man of the Year Award in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Philip Martin Lelli was well known for his generosity and service to his community through his work with the Hospitality Kitchen at St. Leo's School, as well as his support of the Hispanic Food Bank and the Lake Tapps Food Bank in Pierce County;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Washington State Transportation Commission commence proceedings to name state route number 509 in Pierce County between the junction with Pacific Avenue and Taylor Way in the City of Tacoma as the Philip Martin Lelli Memorial Highway to honor his dedication and service as a longshoreman, activist, and advocate for the betterment of the Port of Tacoma and the State of Washington.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Lynn Peterson, Secretary of Transportation, the Washington State Transportation Commission, and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

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