KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) welcomed four trailblazing pioneers into the 2024 American Trucking and Industry Leader Hall of Fame on Oct. 23 at ATHS headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri.
The new Hall of Fame inductees include:
1. Robert A. Young Jr., ABF (acceptance by Judy McReynolds, President and CEO of ArcBest)
2. John Ruan, Ruan Transportation (acceptance by Chief Operating Officer Jeff Harpole and team)
3. Marvin Rush, Rush Enterprises (acceptance by CEO Rusty Rush, family, and team)
4. Frederick McKinley Jones, Thermo King (acceptance by CEO Mike Kahn and team)
Tom Mullen, Chair of the American Trucking and Industry Leader Hall of Fame, was moved by the stories shared by each honoree.
“This is our fourth class of inductees, and it was a huge success,” said Mullen. “Today’s induction set a new level for the importance and significance of the Hall of Fame. We had a wonderful cross-section of inductees, from a true inventor in Thermo King’s Fred Jones and ABF founder Robert Young, to the rags-to-riches journey of John Ruan, who grew from one dump truck to a 6,000-employee enterprise. Then we have Rush Enterprises, which began with a single small pickup dealership in 1965 and has grown into an international distribution system, led by the ‘larger-than-life’ Marvin Rush,” added Senior Hall of Fame Advisor Stu MacKay.
“We wish to thank everyone who joined us, those who brought trucks to share, and our supporters who all made this experience memorable,” said ATHS Executive Director John Gravley. “In addition to our inductees, ATHS honored its own award recipients, including the 75-Year Company Achievement Award winners: Kenworth Sales, Ruan Transportation Systems, and Thermo King. Rush Enterprises received the 50-Year Company Achievement Award, and ATHS’s own Stuart MacKay was recognized with the Golden Achievement Award.”
Mullen concluded, “Every year adds another layer of accomplishments that strengthens our mission: ‘To preserve the history of trucks, the trucking industry, and its pioneers.’ That’s what we’re truly achieving.”
Thank you to event sponsors: Hagerty and Women in Trucking.
About ATHS:
The American Truck Historical Society was formed in 1971 to preserve the history of trucks, the trucking industry, and its pioneers. ATHS is international in scope, with around 15,000 members and 100 chapters spanning 23 countries and all 50 United States. The Zoe James Memorial Library hosts a collection of over 500,000 digitized and original photographs and documents; 35,000 pieces of sales literature, more than 45,000 books and periodicals, and an extensive collection of scale model trucks. The ATHS is located in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A. More information about ATHS, including hours of operation, can be found at ATHS.org.
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