Remembering Mike Pennington
Longtime trucking industry figure Mike Pennington passed away suddenly on Dec. 5. He was 64.
He died of a heart attack while out with his wife, Patsy, and friends. Pennington and his wife lived in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and were longtime residents of Michigan.
Pennington spent 25 years in corporate communications and 15 years as a business magazine journalist, editor and photographer, primarily in trucking and affiliated industries.
His lengthy client list included Meritor Inc., Wabco, Maxion Wheels, Trucker Buddy International, the Truck Writers of North America and Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week.
Pennington worked for Meritor, formerly known as ArvinMeritor, from 1985 to 2010, according to his LinkedIn page.
“Mike's contributions to Meritor during his 25-year tenure, and over the past several years, were extraordinary,” said Krista Sohm, Meritor's vice president of marketing and communications. “He was passionate about the industry. His love for his work and drive for results was contagious. Mike was a mentor, a friend and a gentleman, and he left an impression on us that will not be forgotten. We are all better for having known him.”
He was awarded the Truck Writers of North America’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, had been a member of American Trucking Associations since 1978 and had been vice chairman of ATA’s Communications and Image Policy Committee since May 2013. He was also immediate past president of ACT 1, the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry.
“Mike will be remembered for his love of the trucking industry, his incredible work ethic, his influence, generosity and passion for people,” ATA President Bill Graves said in a statement.
“Mike was one of the kindest and most decent people I have known and would have given you the shirt off of his back to help,” Tim Kraus, president of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association, said in a statement e-mailed to Transport Topics. “I will really miss him.”
Kraus credited Pennington for his work on Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week and many other industry events.
The Memphis, Tennessee, native earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Memphis in 1972.
A "Celebration of Life" will be held Dec. 12 at the Amelia Island Club in Amelia Island, Florida.
