Alvin C Poweleit M.D. Memorial Bridge
Information comes from material and newspaper articles at the Campbell County Historical Society
The Interstate 275 bridge connecting Campbell County and Kenton County at Wilder was completed and opened February 3, 1976. It remained unnamed until 2002.
On March 8, 2002 a state panel approved a bill to name the I-275 bridge The Alvin C Poweleit M.D. Memorial Bridge. Poweleit, a former resident of Covington and a veteran of World War II, survived the Bataan Death March in which nearly 100,000 soldiers died and American and Filipino prisoners of ware were starved and beaten by their captors. Poweleit then spent three and a half years in a prison camp where he cared for fellow soldiers, treating their illnesses and wounds, and saving many lives.
"Dr. Poweleit was a great war hero who was also a great humanitarian," said Senator Katie Stine from Ft. Thomas who presented the resolution for naming the bridge in his honor. Poweleit received the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, the Philippine Defense Medal and the Presidential Unit Citation Medal.
After the war, Poweleit returned to his medical practice in Covington, where he died July 14, 1997. Members of the community described him as a compassionate doctor who often treated low-income patients for free. He served his community for four decades.