CINCINNATI -- There was a celebration outside Elder High School Thursday for the renaming of Vincent Avenue after former Elder teacher Mark Klusman.
The city renamed the street in Klusman's honor three months after his death. Hundreds of people came out for the celebration of his life.
"His life was Elder High School and the community," Klusman's nephew, Matt Klusman, said.
Klusman graduated from Elder in 1961, and returned to teach there five years later. He taught and mentored students at Elder for more than 50 years.
Campus Minister Roger Auer said he's still numb from Klusman's death, but he's glad he'll be seeing Klusman's name on the way into school every day.
"It is not a surprise to me that so many people appreciated his life and have been inspired by him," Auer said.
A car hit Klusman during a community cleanup event in Price Hill on Dec. 9. He died at University of Cincinnati Medical Center on the day after Christmas.
Police have said Kayla Wilson was behind the wheel during the collision, driving at more than 50 mph in a 25-mph zone. She's been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide in his death.
Pedestrian deaths on the rise
It was the second year in a row that pedestrian fatalities have been on the rise, according to AAA.
Early numbers show 6,000 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. last year, and 139 of them were in Ohio.
Cincinnati Councilman Christopher Smitherman said its important for drivers to be aware of pedestrians.
"These are very tragic events where people really lost focus of what they were doing when they were operating the vehicle," he said.
