PA House Passes Bill To Rename Road For Famous Montco Resident

LANSDALE, PA — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a bill that would rename a portion of State Route 2004 in Montgomery County in honor of a famous local resident who founded what was then North Penn Hospital.

Lawmakers advanced legislation Tuesday to rename State Route 2004 in Lansdale and Hatfield the Dr. Frank Erdman Boston Memorial Highway.

Boston was a Philadelphia resident and later Lansdale resident who served in World War I and then went on to found what is today known as Jefferson Lansdale Hospital back in the mid-1950s.

He was a well-known medical doctor and dedicated community member, according to an online bio.

One of the local legislators who voted in favor of the measure Tuesday was State Rep. Steve Malagari, a Montgomery County Democrat.

"I was proud to cast a vote in favor of this bill that will honor an important local resident," Malagari said in a statement. "In a life defined by service to his country and community, after serving as a medical officer during World War I, Dr. Boston founded a hospital in Lansdale — which is now known as the Jefferson Lansdale Hospital — as well as a first aid emergency squad eventually called the Volunteer Medical Service Corps, which remains active in the North Penn region."

Malagari said the honor to rename a road in Boston's honor was fitting since Boston had a "lasting positive influence in our area.

"I also think it's important to emphasize Dr. Boston overcame countless obstacles and navigated a still segregated U.S. Army and country as a man of color during a challenging — but, thankfully, changing — time in our nation's history," Malagari stated.

The measure, House Bill 1560, was actually a collection of numerous road-renaming measures, which included State Route 2004 in parts of the North Penn region.

The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Tom Wolf.

In the fall of 2021, the Pennsylvania State Senate also approved a measure, put forth by Sen. Bob Mensch, a Montgomery County Republican, to designate the Dr. Frank Erdman Boston Memorial Highway in Lansdale.

"The life and accomplishments of Dr. Boston are a testament to what materializes from the best qualities in a human being," Mensch said in a statement at the time. "His selflessness, respect for life, dedication to his neighbors and unwavering commitment to do good serve as an inspiration for all and are the reasons we should be celebrating his legacy for generations to come."

Boston was born in 1891 in Philadelphia and went on to attend Lincoln University, which was known as the country's first degree-granting historically Black college and university.

He died in February 1960 and was buried in Lansdale.