Richmond City Council members plan to honor two esteemed citizens this week with honorary street namings.

Councilwoman Ellen Robertson of the 6th District will hold an honorary street naming unveiling ceremony for the Rev. Shady Clark Jr. on Saturday, May 18 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the corner of 1601 Littlepage St. and Mechanicsville Turnpike. A reception will follow.

Rev. Clark has been a pastor at Eastminister Presbyterian Church in the East End for almost 50 years. He also served in the education field as a high school counselor and principal, school district administrator, community college adjunct professor and a supervisor with the Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Program Administration and Accountability.

Richmond City Council established the honorary street naming designation on March 25. The corner of 1601 Littlepage St. and Mechanicsville Turnpike will be named Rev. Shady Clark, Jr. Way.

In the 3rd District, Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert will also host an honorary street designation ceremony for Melvin L. Davis Sr. on Wednesday, May 22, from noon to 1 p.m. in the 400 block of East Ladies Mile Road.

Mr. Davis started as a painter who later constructed 40 homes in Richmond. He co-founded the Davis & Myers Construction Company in 1947, one of the largest minority-owned general contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Davis died in 2006.

Richmond City Council established the honorary street naming designation on Dec. 11, 2023. The 400 block of East Ladies Mile Road will be named Melvin L. Davis Way.

For more information about Melvin L. Davis Way, contact Sam Patterson at (804) 241-7544 or samuel.patterson@rva.gov.

For more information about the 6th District event, contact Ms. Robertson at (804) 646-7964, (804) 314-7658 or ellen.robertson@rva.gov.