MEMPHIS, TN — An award has been established in memory of a familiar trucking industry figure who suddenly passed away late last year.

The University of Memphis, located in Tennessee, has set up the D. Mike Pennington Award for Outstanding Mentoring in the Department of Journalism.

The honor is the first mentoring award in the College of Communication and Fine Arts and the first faculty award in journalism. It will annually recognize a journalism faculty member who has been an exemplary guide to students during their learning experience.

The Pennington family and friends created the unique tribute to Pennington to honor his dedication to helping others and his loyalty to his alma mater.

The 1972 graduate died on Dec. 5, 2015.

Honored with numerous awards during his lifetime, Pennington spent 25 years in corporate communications, including many with Meritor Inc., and 13 years as a business magazine journalist, editor and photographer, primarily in trucking and affiliated industries.

After his corporate life, he established PenNotes LLC to continue his client counseling and his involvement in the industry.

Highly respected in his field, Pennington devoted his time to many organizations, including the American Trucking Associations, Act 1 (the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry), Trucker Buddy International, the Truck Writers of North America, and numerous industry projects for Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week and New Aftermarket Leaders of Tomorrow.