On the recordMarch 25, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Watauga County Deputy Sheriff William R. Mast, Jr. Deputy Mast was shot and killed while responding to a 911 call in Deep Gap, North Carolina, in 2012. Deputy Mast was only 23 years old when he was killed 20 months ago, and his first child was born shortly thereafter. Today, at a ceremony at the Perkinsville Baptist Church in Boone, the bridge spanning the south fork of the New River on U.S. Highway 421 will be named for Deputy Mast. This is a small token of gratitude from the community which Deputy Mast served so ably and honorably. Our thoughts and prayers today are with Deputy Mast's widow, young son, and all those who continue to mourn his passing. ____________________
