A Southwest Airlines plane takes off from Love Field in Dallas on Monday, May 19, 2014. (Lara Solt/The Dallas Morning News)
To drive to Dallas Love Field’s terminals, now just hang a turn onto Herb Kelleher Way.
The Dallas City Council, as expected, voted Wednesday to rename Cedar Springs Road north of Mockingbird Lane for Southwest Airlines’ famous co-founder. Kelleher, 83, spent many years as Southwest’s chairman and chief executive and still keeps an office at the airlines’ Dallas headquarters.
“He’s a city father,” Mayor Mike Rawlings said. “He’s an icon. He’s something special.”
Three years ago, the City Council voted to give that stretch of road the ceremonial designation of Herb Kelleher Way. But this latest action means the city will actually remove the Cedar Springs Roads signs on that segment and replace them with signs bearing the new name.
City officials expect the new signs to go up in the next couple of months at a cost of up to $10,000.
Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins on Tuesday said the company “could not be more pleased with the … truly monumental honor to Herb.”
“Hundreds of millions of Southwest customers have benefited from the purposed work he inspired and then led for decades,” he said. “The people of Southwest, past and present, are thrilled that our home airport will forever be connected to the salty wit and boundless sage of our founder.”
Southwest Airlines CEO & President, Gary Kelly, left, and former CEO of Southwest Airlines Herb Kelleher, founder and Chairman Emeritus, visit after a news conference at Dallas Love Field on Monday, February 3, 2014. (David Woo/ The Dallas Morning News)