David Michael Pennington died suddenly on Friday, Dec. 5. Known as ‘Mike’, he will be unknown to many of you but he worked tirelessly in the background to make the trucking industry better for all of us. To say that his contributions — not to mention his extraordinarily kind and generous spirit — will be missed is to understate things dramatically.

As a friend, a mentor, or a colleague, Mike was universally loved and respected. Social media were literally alight over the weekend with praise and heartfelt expressions of affection. He touched many people over the course of a long career, and it seems that every one of them became in some way better as a result.

A dear friend of mine and to others here at Today’s Trucking, Mike suffered a heart attack while at dinner with his wife Patsy. Ironically, they were just starting a brief holiday at a remote inn on Cumberland Island, off the coast of Georgia, aiming for some much needed R&R. There were doctors present, by happenstance, but sustained efforts to revive him proved futile. At 64, he was too young to go.

Mike began his trucking industry career as an editor at Southern Motor Cargo magazine in his home town of Memphis, TN after gaining a degree in journalism. He  worked there for 13 years before moving into public relations at what was then Rockwell Automotive, now known as Meritor. He was there from 1985 to 2010 when he retired as senior director, global marketing communications and industry relations. He remained a familiar figure in the industry as he continued to manage projects for Meritor’s aftermarket business and others through his company in Fernandina Beach, Fla., PenNotes LLC.

He was active in many organizations, including ACT 1, the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry, of which Meritor was a corporate member, serving recently as president of that organization. In the past year he had been involved in the new industry image program, Trucking Moves America Forward.

Mike was also vice chairman of the American Trucking Associations’ Communications and Image Policy Committee. He was involved in the Trucker Buddy International pen-pal program, Truck Writers of North America, Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, and New Aftermarket Leaders of Tomorrow. He was a big proponent of mentoring young journalists and others in the industry. 

He was honored with numerous awards during his career. The Truck Writers of North America named him Communicator of the Year in 2006, gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, and the Extra Mile Award in 2008. 

A celebration of Mike’s life will be held Dec. 12 at The Amelia Island Club at 5 Ocean Club Drive, Amelia Island, Fla.

Mike is survived by Patsy and his brother Mark, pictured above on the left. Thanks to David Moniz for the photo. — RL