Roberta and Vincent Roper have been recognized for their extraordinary efforts to create crime victims’ rights and services by renaming on November 4 of a part of MD Rt. 4 in Upper Marlboro in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties. It is not often that are roads renamed. Rarer yet is the renaming of part a road that includes the pedigree of the United States’ most known address – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
On October 20, 2012, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley issued a proclamation which renamed part of Maryland Route 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) in honor of Stephanie Roper, who was murdered in St. Mary’s County and the efforts of her parents Roberta and Vincent Roper. The state proclamation indicated: “Whereas: The tragic murder of Stephanie Roper in 1982 was the catalyst for the formation of the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center (formerly the Stephanie Roper Committee and Foundation, Inc.), the passage of many laws and the creation of a number of victim’s assistance services in our State; and Whereas: The hard work and dedication of the Roper family and the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center has advanced our justice system in invaluable ways, all in honor of Stephanie’s name; and Whereas: The memory of Stephanie should serve as a reminder “that justice for all” should include the victims of crime, and that all crime victims should not, and will not, be forgotten; and Whereas: Maryland strives to honor the memory of individuals of special significance that have played an important role in the history and progress of our State. NOW, THEREFORE, I, MARTIN O’MALLEY, GOVERNOR OF THE GREAT STATE OF MARYLAND, Do proclaim that five miles of MD Route 4 in Upper Marlboro will hereby be known as “Stephanie Roper Highway” in Maryland, and do commend this observance to all of our citizens.” Maryland State Highway workers are scheduled to install Stephanie Roper Highway signs within a week. Pennsylvania Avenue will now terminate in at Water Street in Upper Marlboro, MD near the Prince George’s County Courthouse. The Stephanie Roper Highway will continue 5.2 miles through the Washington, D.C. suburbs to Bay Front Road in Bristol, MD passing through both Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties.
Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Centers’ Executive Director Russell P. Butler stated, “Roberta and Vince Roper put crime victims’ rights and services on the Maryland and national map in memory of their daughter Stephanie who was murdered in 1982. The State of Maryland has appropriately recognized the efforts of the Ropers by renaming part of Maryland Route 4 and placed Stephanie Roper’s name on the Maryland State Highway Map.” The Stephanie Roper Highway (MD Route 4) joins other State Roads memorializing individuals of special prominence including John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (Interstate 95), John Hanson Highway (U.S. 50), and Martin Luther King Jr. Highway (MD Route 704).
