Many motorists cross the Smolka Bridge on a daily basis and may not realize they are doing so, as they may not even be aware of the Smolka Bridge. The bridge is known as the river bridge, the bridge by McGarveys, the bridge by Red Clay or just the bridge over the river. Some may wonder who is Smolka and what does he have to do with the bridge. In Lorain you have the Charles Berry Bridge, that is named after WWII Marine that gave his life to save fellow Marines. The high-level bridge in Lorain is dedicated to Lofton Henderson, a pilot that also gave his life to save fellow warriors as he crashed into a Japanese ship.

Many people may not be aware of these men and that is sad. Just as it is sad that many may not even know who is Francis Smolka is and why we posted a small plaque on each side of the bridge dedicated in his honor. Former Patrolman Dale Masten brought up the idea to the local FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) to dedicate the  bridge in Frank's honor, as he felt, as do many officers and veterans (many of us are both) that the sacrifices soldiers and police make are soon forgotten.

We have police officers that were several years old on October 29, 1978 when Frank was taken from us.

Frank had a medical condition, that caused his potassium level to drop but he took medication and had it under control. He passed all the physical tests for the job and did a good job on a daily basis One night, Ptl. Smolka along with several other officers responded to deal with an unruly drunk. The sad thing was this drunk would become drunk on numerous occasions and many of us dealt with him, as he would become out of control, causing harm to others. This was back before Tasers and other methods, so we ended up in a violent struggle to subdue the suspect and the aftermath was Frank's death. He had participated, but then shortly thereafter, his potassium level dropped, causing him to pass out then aspirate. Doctors and Nurses worked on him for over and hour, to no avail. He was only 23.

His brother was a cop in Washington D.C., his grandfather was chief of police in Lorain years ago. Frank wanted to be a cop and lived his dream, sadly, way too short. Frank is among the hundreds of officers that are honored on May 15th every year. President John Kennedy designated this date as Police Memorial Day and all flags are to flown at half staff for the day.

Please take a moment to reflect on Frank's story on the 15th of May or the next time you drive across the Smolka Bridge, as in 1998, the Mayor and City Council passed an ordinance dedicating the bridge to an officer that served Vermilion proudly, making the ultimate sacrifice.