Press Release: ITRHFM Adds 28 Names to Its Wall of the Fallen

[For The Industry]

October 22, 2019 / CHATTANOOGA, TN – The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum added twenty-eight new names to the Wall of the Fallen during its recent annual ceremony honoring towing and road service operators who have died in the line of service.

 

The names include those from previous years as the details of fatalities become known. In all, the Wall of the Fallen now has over 450 names of men and women who have lost their lives while serving the motoring public in the towing and road service industry. (See below for complete list of towing operator names added in 2019.)

 

The Wall of the Fallen ceremony seeks to honor towing operators whose lives were cut short and the Survivor Fund provides a one-time gift to the families. Survivors’ families also receive a Certificate of Honor at the ceremony.

 

“It is with great sadness that we find ourselves in a position that requires the Wall of the Fallen,” stated Jeffrey Godwin, Wall of the Fallen and Survivor Fund co-chairman.  “Despite the tragedy represented, we do find comfort in honoring our fallen operators and in serving their families in their time of loss.”

 

The annual ceremony also aims to boost motorists’ awareness of Move Over laws in effect in all 50 states that require drivers to move over one lane and/or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle.

 

Annually, the motoring public’s failure to slow down or move over, in addition to drunken or negligent driving, unnecessarily claims many towers’ lives.

 

 

 

About ITRHFM

The International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Chattanooga, TN, houses an array of displays and exhibits showcasing the history of towing and recovery. The rotating collection includes early equipment by Manley, Holmes, Vulcan, and Weaver. The Hall of Fame honors individuals who have significantly advanced the industry. The Museum includes a theater, a library, and a gift shop selling souvenirs related to the towing industry. On the outside grounds is the Wall of the Fallen memorial, dedicated to towers who died in the line of service. The ITRHFM Survivor Fund assists the families of the men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of service by providing a uniform financial gift at the time of their loss. ITRHFM is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and accepts donations for its programs and operations from individuals, corporations and groups.  Learn more at www.towingmuseum.com.

 

 

2019 Wall of the Fallen

(in alphabetical order)

 

Honoree Name	State	Year
Phillip F. Amsden	IN	2010
Patric Noel Barrio	TX	2019
Michael Charles Buffington	MS	2019
Patrick Cisneros	NM	2019
Garold L. Cline	WV	2018
Jerry E. Davenport	AR	2018
Ernest Linden Dean	KY	1945
Steven E. Eldridge	NC	2019
Erwin Mendoza Geremillo	CA	2019
Trevor A. Haas	IL	2018
Richard Arturo Hernandez	CA	1999
Jesse Hettmann	WI	2019
Keith Holt, Sr.	TX	2019
Elwood Allan Humphries	VA	2018
Clarence C. Jones, Jr.	PA	1963
Charles C. McGough	TX	2018
Juan Manuel Morga	CA	2018
James Robert Morris	CA	2019
Terrell Dean Pack	TX	2019
Willie J. Passmore, Jr.	NE	2011
Edgar Arthur Pilon	Canada	1954
Kevin B. Raasch	KS	2019
Clarence Hugh Souther, Jr.	GA	1962
Benny G. Sprinkle	NC	2019
John L. Stewart	MO	2018
Paul Wayne Taylor, Jr	TX	2018
Jason Stuart Throne	IN	2019
Michael R. White	OK	2018