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Born March 29,
1918, in Garden Grove, Iowa, Kenneth Churchill was sweeping docks as a
janitor's helper at Churchill Truck Lines at the age of 10 and became
President in 1960, an office which he still holds today. He was also
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Churchill Truck Lines, Inc. Kenneth
attended grade school and high school in Meadville, Missouri, graduating
in 1936. Upon graduation, he immediately entered into the trucking
business under the guidance of his late father, Cliff Churchill.
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He married
Eugenia (Jean) Minnis in 1940. They have three children, Fred, Connie, and
Patricia, as well as David & Julie. Fred and Lois have one son, Mark;
Connie has three sons, Mike, Matt, and Luke; Patricia has one daughter,
Abby; David and Joe have three children, Donnie, Duke, and Neelie; and
Julie has two sons, Clint and Clay. There are currently 8
great-grandchildren. Even with such a large operation to manage every day, Kenneth
puts his family first. He and Jean enjoyed their trips to Colorado
Springs, Colorado, and trips to visit family and friends. Kenneth's
special interests include golf, fishing, and reading.
Kenneth's strong
work ethic began on the farm and continued as he worked hard and long
beside his father and brothers. His father, Cliff, started the business as
an individual in 1926 before many gravel roads or concrete pavement
existed. He began the business with one Dodge straight truck hauling
livestock from the rural area to Kansas City, St. Joseph, and later
to St. Louis, and hauling feed, tankage, and vinegar in wooden barrels
back into the North Missouri area. All of this was prior to the state and
federal regulation of the trucking industry. In 1932, the Missouri
legislature passed laws to regulate motor carriers. In 1935, federal laws
were passed to regulate operations which were managed by the Interstate
Commerce Commission. CHTL was granted as a regular route with authority to
transport general commodities, as well as irregular routes between
Meadville, Missouri, and 10 miles radius and all points in Illinois, Iowa,
and Missouri. In later years, this authority proved quite helpful in
expanding operations into major cities. The company was incorporated in
1935 and was owned by Cliff Churchill, Mr. J.E. Creason, and Mr. John
Miller (all of Meadville). Later, both gentlemen sold their interest in
the company to Churchill. In 1936, ownership reverted to a family-owned
corporation, and Kenneth's mother became a stockholder and member of the
Board of Directors. In 1943, the company moved its general offices from
Meadville, Missouri, to Chillicothe, Missouri, purchasing all or parts of
numerous other carriers throughout the years.
Since 1936,
Kenneth has been associated with Churchill Truck Lines, Inc., serving as
Secretary-Treasurer from 1936 to 1960, President from 1960 to 1966; and
Chairman of the Board and president from 1966 to the present. There was never a task too remedial, too mundane, too unimportant, or too dirty to do as he worked long and hard to grow a very successful business in a very tough, highly competitive industry. As president and chairman of the board, he arrived for work by 6:30 a.m. and rarely left before 7 p.m. Through the years, he touched business associates; employees; competitors; a variety of board members he served with on local, state, and national levels; friends; acquaintances; and family. His leadership and day-to-day operation of his company reached into 26 states with 100 terminals employing several hundreds of people. Receiving national, statewide, and regional recognition and awards, he was also
committed to the community where he kept his company although many thought he should move his headquarters to the city.
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Kansas Turnpike September,
1974 |
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Kansas Turnpike September,
1974 |
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KFC presents one of the CHTL
drivers
the Missouri Driver of the Month Award, June, 1991 |
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Churchill Truck Lines office
building - KFC donated the
property to the Chillicothe R-II School District. |
Kenneth's
distinctive handwriting was always admired and noticed - he said
his elementary teachers made him practice over and over to achieve
this level of quality. His dedication and effort paid off. |
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His
quality of leadership and success in management may be seen by the
summarized list of achievements over his lifetime. This list was created
in 1992, which was 16 years ago... since that time, he continues to go to
work every day, continues to generously contribute to the community where
he lives, and continues to be admired wherever he goes.
SPECIAL NOTES
OF INTEREST
Recipient of the
"Frank G. Campbell Award for Outstanding Service" in 1980. This
award is given to an individual in Missouri for his/her distinguished
record of service to the Transportation industry, the Missouri Motor
Carriers Association, and his/her community.
In 1986, he was
named the Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce "Business Person of the
Year."
BUSINESS
ACTIVITIES
- Served as
President and Vice President of the Missouri Bus and Trucking Association; served many
years on the Board of Directors; served and chaired various standing
committees, including Public Relations, Legislative, and Membership
- Past President
(1966) and member of the Missouri Motor Carriers Association (MMCA) Executive
Committee and Board of Directors since before 1960
- Member of the
Association Finance & Administrative Committee MMCA
- Chairman of
the Committee for Sound Transportation
- Board member
and Past President of Missouri-Kansas Motor Carrier Conference
- Board of
Directors of the Rocky Mountain Motor Tariff Bureau
- Past President
of Transport Clearings-Midwest and member of Board of Directors
- Vice Chairman
from Missouri for the American Trucking Association (1967-1988)
- ATA Vice
Chairman at Large (1988-1990)
- ATA Executive
Committee member
- Chairman of
the Special Committee of Nominations for Officers of the Middlewest
Motor Freight Bureau (MWMFB)
- Chairman of
Executive Committee of MWMFB
- Member of
MWMFB Board of Directors
- Treasurer of
the Central States Motor Freight Bureau (CMB) Board of Trustees
- Board of
Directors of American Trucking Association (ATA)
- ATA's 1992
National Membership Task Force
- First
Vice-Chairman and Board member
of the Regular Route Common Carrier Conference of the American
Trucking Association
- Regular Common
Carrier Conference (RCCC) Administrative & Finance Committee
- RCCC Strategic
Planning Committee
- Board of
Governors of the Southern Motor Carriers Rate Conference
- Board member
of Trucking Management, Inc., Washington D.C.
- Board of
Directors - Excalibur Insurance Company, Carrollton, Texas
- Served many
years working on the Missouri Economic Development, Export and
Infrastructure Board in Jefferson City
- Diplomat Club
member (industry political action committee)
- Early
volunteer to help home community cut down noise from truck traffic
SERVICE
ACTIVITIES
- Member of the
Board of Directors of the Missouri State Chamber of Commerce
- Chillicothe
Chamber of Commerce member
- Chillicothe
Industrial Development Board member (now CDC)
- Served many
years on Citizens' Bank & Trust Company Board of Directors
- St. Louis
Ambassadors Club member
- Member of
Fontbonne College Board of Directors
- Member
National Museum of Transportation Board of Directors
- Member of
Catholic Knights of Columbus
- Treasurer of
St. Raphael Holy Name Society, past St. Raphael The Archangel Parish
assistant for the White House Retreat League
- Kiwanis Club
member
- Rotary Club
member
- United
Methodist Church member
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