Local
Four miles of Highway 92 in Delta County now recognize Colorado’s educators
A newly dedicated stretch of Highway 92 in Read honors teachers statewide, including the late Betty Soper, who taught in Delta County for four decades. The memorial was created through a bipartisan legislative resolution sponsored by her son, state Rep. Matt Soper.
A four-mile section of Colorado Highway 92 in rural Delta County has been designated the Educators and Teachers Memorial Highway, honoring teachers across the state.
The stretch runs from mile marker 3 to mile marker 7 through Read, where the Delta County school district once had its headquarters. A dedication ceremony on Oct. 20 drew dozens of educators and several lawmakers, who unveiled two signs identifying the highway.
State Rep. Matt Soper, a Republican who represents the area, sponsored a bipartisan resolution establishing the designation during the last legislative session. He said the idea took shape after his mother, Betty Soper, died last year. She taught fourth and fifth grades in Delta County for 40 years.
Soper recalled that his mother had questioned why highways were named for some professions but not teachers. After her death, he said, he thought more about how to recognize educators.
The designation is intended to honor teachers broadly, Soper said, including those who have faced challenges such as school shootings and the strain of teaching during the pandemic. He said he hopes drivers who see the signs will remember an educator who made a difference in their lives.
Soper said he knew of no other highway in the country dedicated to the teaching profession. The new signs give the rural stretch of road a public reminder of educators’ work and influence.