The Arkansas Trucking Association is pleased to announce the 2020 recipient of the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund. Hugh “Mac” McConnell IV, a recent graduate of Central Arkansas Christian School will receive $7,500 to pursue training for a career in medium/heavy duty truck technology.
“Truck drivers and diesel technicians are essential to the Arkansas economy and way of life. The success of our industry and state depends on a professional, smart, capable, problem-solving workforce,” says Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. “We congratulate this year’s scholarship recipient and join in his excitement about the future of technology, trucking and keeping the equipment safe on the roads we all share.”
Mac McConnell is the son of Hugh and Erin McConnell of North Little Rock. While at Central Arkansas Christian High School, he has served as a project manager for various missions programs. He was involved in archery, trapshooting team, football as well as service projects with the City of North Little Rock and Recycle Bikes. McConnell grew up working in his family’s trucking company, McConnell & Son, Inc. This fall, he plans to attend Arkansas State University at Beebe.
“This year’s applicants were outstanding. We had students from across the state with excellent credentials,” says Kenneth Calhoun, founding member of the scholarship committee. “Ultimately the committee had to take on the challenging task of making a selection. Mac rose to the top, and when the process was complete, the choice was clear. We are excited at the prospect of having this fine young man join our industry. It will be exciting to see his contributions to the field.”
The Arkansas Trucking Association’s Maintenance & Technology Council established the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund to celebrate Carl Tapp, the council’s first chairman, and his career-long commitment to nurturing new talent in the industry. The Fund is intended to enable and encourage growth in the state’s diesel technician workforce and to help assure that the safest, most knowledgeable and skilled technicians are working on the trucks and trailers on our nation’s roads. Candidates were evaluated based upon their interest and performance in STEM courses, teacher and mentor recommendations and personal interviews with the scholarship committee of industry experts.
This scholarship has been made possible by the vision and investment in the future of trucking in Arkansas by the following companies and individuals: ArcBest Companies, Bruce Purkey, DAVCO Technology, Doggett Freightliner of Arkansas, Kenneth Calhoun, Maverick Transportation, McKee Foods Transportation, Pressure Systems International, Summit Truck Group, TechForce Foundation, The Tapp Family, Truck Centers of Arkansas, Truck-Lite Co., and Walt Luethy. Contact Sarah Newman (sarahnewman@arkansastrucking.com) for more information about the Scholarship Fund.
