It was a simple ceremony that held a very special meaning for the Dahlem family.

"It's in the middle of the U.F. campus and there's a lot of bars around here," Dahlem's wife said. "We hope people will think about drinking and driving every time they walk by, and hopefully, it will stop one person from drinking and driving."

Last April, Sally Dahlem lost her husband while he was on duty after the Gators won their second Men's Basketball National Championship, leaving a space in the lives of the Dahlems and his brothers and sisters in blue.

"There's not a day that goes by that we don't all think about corey and the family," Lt. Bart Knowles said. "It's just one of those things you never forget and I don't think you truly recover from, you just get better."

Knowles said he hopes Friday afternoon's ceremony renaming Northwest 17th Street between West University and Northwest 8th avenues as "Lt. Corey Dahlem Drive" will help to make things better.

"I don't believe that the family especially will have any closure until it's really complete," he added.

Especially during the holiday season, completing the legal case against the man who hit Dahlem is especially important according to State Attorney Bill Cervone.

"I'm hopeful that having some end to the criminal case especially in a relatively short period of time would let the family, the Gainesville Police Department and the community as a whole go forward from this," he said.

Also unveiled was a memorial plaque on campus to honor Dahlem; according to his wife, there is only one thing his family can do since losing their hero.

"We're hanging in there," she said. "We hope justice is served."

Sentencing for Austin Wright, the driver who killed Dahlem, is scheduled for Wednesday.

By Ted Latiak, WCJB TV20 News.