Trucking loses a buddy
ELKHORN, Wis. — Gary King, founder of the highly successful Trucker Buddy program that has enriched the lives of more than two million school children, died Saturday after a battle with cancer and heart disease.
and his successor Ellen Voie
King, who was 61 years old, leaves behind his wife, Carol, and three
children.
In 1993, while living in Elkhorn, Wis., King drove a truck leased to Dart Transit. He felt the need to share his over the road stories with an elementary school class, so he asked a friend, whose wife was a teacher in Williams Bay, Wis., if he could correspond with her class. She agreed, and the Trucker Buddy program was born.
In 1994, Kenworth Truck Co. boosted the goals of the program with major
funding for the recently formed nonprofit organization. Throughout that
time, King continued to drive, while Carol worked tirelessly to match
drivers and teachers. Eventually, Gary was able to get off the road and
promote the goals of the Trucker Buddy program at trade shows and industry events.
The program has since grown to include nearly 5,000 driver-student matches, including more than a handful of Canadian truckers taking part.
In 2000, after experiencing health problems, Gary and his wife turned
Trucker Buddy over to Ellen Voie, a former board member who was named
executive director. Voie continued to expand the program until leaving the post last year.
Today, nearly 3,000 teachers and close to 60,000 children continue to
correspond with their Trucker Buddy pen pals. Some drivers, like Leonard “Sandpaper” Emery, have been writing to the same class for over a decade.
Many former students have graduated and continue to describe the impact
their driver had made in their lives. “I was proud to further the goals of Trucker Buddy, and to show Gary and Carol King that their idea had reached an wonderful level of influence in the industry, and for the children and drivers who participated,” said Voie.
Memorials can be sent to the Gary King Memorial Fund, C/O Monona State
Bank, PO Box 6500, Monona, WI 53716.
— Via Truckinginfo.com
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