In This Edition:

Chairman's Corner
TWNA @ GATS
Scholarship Update
Ken Kelley's Passing
Banquet Update
By-Law Revision
Tech Award
Donation To Special Olympics
Upcoming Elections
The Lighter Side

Chairman's Corner
By TWNA Board Chairman, Denise Rondini
As you can see from the other items in the newsletter, the TWNA board has been busy with a wide variety of projects. A great deal of progress has been made on establishing a TWNA scholarship, improving the banquet and updating the by-laws. I would like to thank all TWNA board members and members for their hard work and effort on keeping these projects moving forward.

Part of the reason for this progress is that the board now holds a telephonic conference call once a month. During the calls ideas are discussed and committees formed to work out the details.

The board welcomes input from TWNA members on any of the projects we currently are working on as well as suggestions for other projects TWNA should undertake.

TWNA @ GATS
TWNA will conduct a meeting at the Great American Trucking Show on Thursday, August 25th at 3:45 PM, in the press conference room adjacent to the show's press center.

Scholarship Committee Update
For years we at TWNA have talked about funding a scholarship. Now we finally are going to make that happen. A committee of TWNA members -- Dan Barnhill, Andy Haraldson. Mike O'Neill, Mike Pennington and Denise Rondini -- have been meeting to explore scholarship options.

Since TWNA is a communication organization, the committee believes the scholarship should be given to a student who is studying writing. The committee is hoping the scholarship can be used to fund an internship at a TWNA-member firm.

A letter is being developed that will be sent to all TWNA-member firms asking if they are interested in "hosting" an intern.

In addition, the committee is exploring funding options including holding an auction and soliciting contributions from companies in the trucking industry.

The committee is in the process of developing an application form and is fine-tuning the guidelines for the program.

A complete package should be sent to the TWNA board of directors for approval at its August conference call board meeting.

Kenneth Charles Kelley
November 16, 1930 - July 21, 2005
Veteran truck industry journalist and TWNA member Ken Kelley, who was the father of TWNA's executive director Tom Kelley, passed away at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, on the morning of July 21, 2005, after a lengthy battle with complications from Multiple Sclerosis. Ken is survived by his wife Lorene, one brother, three sons, four daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The date of his passing also marked Ken and Lorene's 54th wedding anniversary.

Born in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, Kelley began his lifelong journalism career during junior college as a sports writer for the Youngstown Vindicator. In 1951, following his graduation with honors from Duke University, he joined the Durham Morning Herald as reporter and copy reader. Ken held subsequent newspaper positions in Richmond, Virginia and Canton, Ohio, before moving to the Detroit area, where he spent the bulk of his career.

In Detroit, Ken quickly found a specialty in covering all things automotive, eventually leading to a senior position with the industry's leading journal, Automotive News. In 1971, Ken started a freelance writing business where his work, covering everything from mini-trucks up through heavy specialized haulers, appeared in hundreds of publications over a period spanning more than three decades.

To keep up with the latest automotive developments, Ken was involved with many industry groups including the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Edison Electric Institute. He also was a charter member of many press organizations including the Detroit Auto Writers Group, Truck Writers of North America, Automotive Press Association and the South East Automotive Media Organization.

Early in 1999, with the aid of his wife and son, Kelley relocated to North Carolina, where he continued writing part-time until his retirement in December of 2003. A fan of the Duke Blue Devils' basketball program, Ken particularly enjoyed being able to catch the local broadcasts of ACC games and playoffs.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (www.nmss.org). TWNA has made a $250 donation in honor of Kelley, and members are encouraged to make donations individually.

Banquet Committee Update
In an attempt to make the TWNA banquet even better, a committee has been formed to review last year's banquet and look at ways to improve the 2006 banquet and awards presentation. The committee -- Don Alles, Tom Berg, Eric Berard, Tom Kelley and Derek Smith -- have discussed a number of ideas for next year's banquet.

The committee currently is in the process of developing a questionnaire that will be used to solicit feedback from TWNA members on what they would like to see occur at the annual banquet.

A draft of the questionnaire will be presented to the board at its monthly board meeting in August.

By-Laws Revision
TWNA is in the process of revising its by-laws. Since the organization was restructured, the by-laws need to be rewritten so that they accurately reflect the member-approved restructuring. In addition, changes will be made to spell out more clearly the responsibilities of board members and the executive director.

Roxane Rose has headed up the effort to update the by-laws and Paul Abelson is doing the actual writing.

Revised by-laws will be brought to the board at its August meeting and if approved will be sent to the full membership for ratification.

Tech Achievement Awards
It once is again time to convene a committee to handle TWNA's Technical Achievement Award. The first task of the committee will be to document the process by which the award recipient is chosen as well as put qualification criteria in writing. The award is presented annually at the spring meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council.

Eric Berard has been asked to chair this committee. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact Eric via e-mail.

Donation to Special Olympics
The TWNA board approved sending the extra laptop bags from the TWNA banquet to the Special Olympics Truck Convoy Program.

Elections
As a result of the restructuring of TWNA with staggered terms for board members, several seats on the board will be up for election later this year. Those positions include:

Canadian/European Press Director
Supplier PR Director
OEM PR Director
Organization/Other PR Director.

Interested candidates should contact Tom Kelley via e-mail.

The Lighter Side . . . Of Law Enforcement

With truckers and law enforcement personnel from all across the U.S. and Canada getting together for the World's Largest Truck Convoy in support of Special Olympics next month, we thought a few timely tips might be in order.

12 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY TO A COP

1. I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer. (OK in Texas)

2. Sorry, Officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.

3.Aren't you the guy from the Village People?

4. Hey, you must've been doin' about 125 mph to keep up with me. Good job!

5. Are You Andy or Barney?

6. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical condition to be a police officer.

7. You're not gonna check the trunk, are you?

8. I pay your salary!

9. Gee, Officer! That's terrific. The last officer only gave me a warning, too!

10. Do you know why you pulled me over? Okay, just so one of us does.

11. I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are no other cars around.. That's how far ahead of me they are.

12. When the Officer says "Gee Son....Your eyes look red, have you been drinking?" You probably shouldn't respond with,"Gee Officer your eyes look glazed, have you been eating doughnuts?"