John McElligott, co-founder of the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and a longtime advocate for truck driver health, has died at age 80.

McElligott dedicated his career to improving the health, wellness and financial stability of professional drivers, his family said in a statement. Through his work and programs he helped establish, thousands of drivers received medical guidance and financial support during times of illness or injury.

Over the course of his career, McElligott directly helped thousands of drivers and influenced more than 5,000 through the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, which has provided more than $5 million in financial assistance to drivers forced off the road due to health issues.

“Dr. John worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to support truck drivers,” his wife Lisa McElligott, said in a statement. “His dedication and passion for the industry are immeasurable. His sacrifices for others went above and beyond.”

Wellness advice for drivers

McElligott was also a regular guest on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking channel with Tim Ridley, where he shared medical insight and wellness advice tailored to professional drivers.

The St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund said McElligott believed drivers deserved the same access to care, compassion and dignity as anyone else. The organization noted that he recognized how quickly illness or injury could lead to financial hardship for drivers and their families and worked to create a support network across the industry.

Born Sept. 17, 1945, in Big Spring, Texas, McElligott joined the United States Navy in 1964 and served as a Navy corpsman attached to the Marines during the Vietnam War.

Professional career

After four years of active duty and additional reserve service, he enrolled in the physician assistant program at Duke University, graduating at the top of his class. He worked as a physician assistant for more than 16 years before advancing his medical career.

McElligott later served as assistant medical director at UT Medical Center Southwestern Medical School at Parkland Hospital. He earned a master of public health in occupational health and safety from the University of Tennessee, attended medical school, and completed his residency at Yale Griffin Hospital, again graduating at the top of his class at age 40.

Occupational health clinics

He became a board-certified internal medicine physician and was among the first in Knoxville, Tenn., to earn that distinction. He was also elected a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

For more than three decades, McElligott operated two occupational health clinics focused largely on the needs of truck drivers, a group he believed was often underserved. He was named to the Mid-America Trucking Show Wall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the industry.