Clint Wheeler Dies at 48
Clint Wheeler, top assistant to former American Trucking Associations President Thomas Donohue, died on Nov. 16 after a battle with liver cancer. He was 48.
Wheeler came to ATA in 1989 and worked in the executive office until 1997, when he left to join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where Donohue had become president. At the Chamber, Wheeler served as vice president of business development and corporate programs.
Current ATA President Bill Graves said of Wheeler, “He will be remembered for his devotion to his family and friends, incredible work ethic and commitment to making the world a better place through his philanthropic efforts, including So Others Might Eat and Operation Smile.”
Born in Bronxville, New York, and raised in McLean, Virginia, Wheeler earned degrees from James Madison University and Marymount University and was a passionate fan of the Boston Red Sox baseball club.
He died at his home in Vienna, Virginia.
Wheeler served on the corporate advisory board of So Others May Eat, a Washington, D.C.-based interfaith, nonprofit organization set up to help homeless individuals with food, clothing and health care, along with affordable housing, job training, addiction treatment and counseling.
“All of us are eternally grateful that Clint continued to support our work,” said the Rev. John Adams, president of SOME. “He gave us great support in helping to fundraise for our programs. Because of Clint, many of his co-workers held clothing drives, food drives and served in our dining room.”
Wheeler received from SOME the 2013 McKenna Humanitarian of the Year Award, which he shared with family members, including his mother, Louise Wheeler, and sister, Leslie Wheeler Hortum, who served as chief of staff under Donohue at ATA.
“Clint was a guy who loved life fully, loved going to work every day, loved his family and loved helping others,” Hortum said.
In April 2014, Operation Smile awarded Wheeler the first Clinton F. Wheeler III Humanitarian Award for his work in raising money for the organization, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, that provides surgery for children in developing countries to correct facial deformities.
He is survived by his wife, Enily, whom he met at ATA where she worked in the conventions and meetings department, son Clint and daughter Danielle.
