(Radio Iowa) – Terry Branstad — the nation’s longest serving governor — is the 26th recipient of the state’s highest citizen honor. Governor Kim Reynolds presented Branstad with the “Iowa Award” medal today (Thursday) during a ceremony in the Iowa Capitol’s rotunda. “His imprint on our state is simply unmatched,” Reynolds said.

Branstad, who is 79, was a member of the Iowa House and served one term as lieutenant governor before he was elected governor in 1982. He served more than 22 years as governor — and left office in 2017 after President Trump appointed him U-S Ambassador to China. “I want to thank you, the people of Iowa. You are a wonderful, caring, thoughtful, friendly group of people and it’s an honor to serve,” Brantad said. “Thank you very much.”

Branstad paid tribute to his family and influential teachers in his hometown as well as legislators and state employees who served during his five-and-a-half terms as governor. “Looking back after all these years I’m proud that we accomplished so much working the Iowa legislature, which most of the time that I was governor was controlled by the other party,” Branstad said, “but we were able to get a lot done and I’m really proud of the fact we were able to find workable solutions that Iowans appreciated.”

Governor Reynolds, who Branstad chose as his lieutenant governor when he returned to office in 2011, has arranged for a 36 mile section of Highway 9 to be named in Branstad’s honor. “This stretch of highway passes through Winnebago and Worth Counties, including Forest City, Hanlontown and Thompson,” Reynolds said, “and its midpoint is Leland, where you were born and raised.” Getting rid of the curbs and gutters on Highway 9 — which was only 18 feet wide — was an issue in Branstad’s first campaign for office in 1972.

“Finally he said: ‘If I’m elected, I’ll raise hell every chance I get to see what can be done,'” Reynolds said. “…In 1985 on one of the coldest days of the year (Governor Branstad attended the dedication of the newly completed Highway 9 project. He remarked: ‘Well, they said, “It’d be a cold day in hell if this road ever got fixed,” and I guess they were right. It’s a cold day in hell and it got fixed.'” The crowd laughed and applauded.

The D-O-T will be installing signs that say the 36 mile portion of Highway 9 is “Dedicated to Governor Terry Branstad” and Reynolds says the signs should be posted by Christmas.