What one often hears about small communities and small towns is how close knit they can be, how people are more friendly and how they help and look out for each other more.

We are pleased to report on pronounced examples of this in Charlotte County, and one of those examples recently came in the form of the renaming of the Louse Creek Bridge just west of the Town of Phenix. The structure was renamed the Carter Thomas White Memorial Bridge, in honor of a Randolph-Henry High School junior who was tragically killed in a hunting accident Dec. 2, 2016.

The community has done much to comfort and support the White family, and this is the latest instance.

A dedication ceremony was recently held to commemorate the renaming of the bridge and to unveil the new signage. Among those on hand were Carter’s parents, William and Regina White, and his brother, Conner White.

As we reported, William White said the family was so honored and proud that the community would think enough of their son to name the bridge after him. He also thanked the community for being there during their loss, and he thanked former Phenix/Aspen Supervisor Haywood Hamlet, along with the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors, for working to repair the bridge. Hamlet has indicated he attended Virginia Department of Transportation six-year plan meetings for about 15 years before the repair project became a reality, revealing the level of personal investment he had in it. This deepens the significance of his decision to then rename the bridge after Carter White.

“He was an outstanding young man in this community,” Hamlet said in October when he announced his renaming decision. “Everybody loved Carter, and he loved everybody back. This community lost a fine young man.”

We commend Hamlet and the community for their magnanimous efforts to comfort a grieving family and honor its son.