Truck Topics
In Memoriam: Rene Tankersley
It's with great sadness that we report the passing of Rene' Tankersley, Feature Editor of Land Line magazine. She died Wednesday, June 9, after her car was involved in a traffic accident while she was on her way from Buckner, MO, to work in Grain Valley, MO.
"We deal a lot with needy people and Rene was a giver," says Rene's Managing Editor, Sandi Soendker of Land Line. "Once Rene did a story on someone, they were hers forever. She would stay in touch with them."
"She was a tenacious journalist and a joyful person. Rene was a tremendous asset to our staff."
Sandi recalls how she met her future Feature Editor:
"I wanted someone to do some stories about different segments in the industry. I had read some of her writing in The Trucker, so I called her and asked her if she wanted to do some freelance work."
"As a matter of fact, one of her first stories for us was about the expediting industry."
Sandy adds, "She stepped right into the Feature Editor slot because we needed someone to write about people - not just a dry recitation about someone's accomplishments. Our membership was growing so fast that we needed a "people" editor."
Rene was a strong advocate for the trucker and was known for her investigative pieces on consumer issues, going to bat for truckers who had been the victims of scams or unscrupulous businesses.
She would often spend hours on the phone tracking down details or on the Internet researching an issue. In some cases, her stories led to official investigations.
Says Sandi, "Rene was a consumer-oriented person, she did many investigative pieces about drivers getting cheated and award-winning articles about deceptive loan practices and other topics."
Rene was the winner of several national awards for her Land Line writing, including the magazine’s first national gold medal in the International Automotive Media Awards and a second gold medal from the Association of Automotive Publication Editors for a March 2003 story. She was a past member of the board of directors of the Truck Writers of North America.
With her husband, Ed, she was also active in the Oak Grove Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he was an elder and she held numerous positions, including serving on the church board.
A mother of two and a grandmother, she single-handedly ran a prison ministry, counseling more than 100 inmates in various facilities and helping them with Bible studies through the mail.
Rene spent most of her life in Arkansas and held a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas. Her professional background included a stint at The Trucker, a trucking newspaper and work at local and community newspapers.
Article composed with the assistance of Land Line Magazine.
On a personal note:
We first met Rene Tankersley when she interviewed the staff of Expediters Online.com for an article about the expediting business - one of her first stories for Land Line magazine.
Since then, we developed a friendly, professional relationship with Rene and spent many hours on the phone with this friendly, outgoing woman.
She counseled us on editorial matters and kept us up to date on trucking news tidbits.
She was a friend to Expediters Online and a friend to Expediters.
We'll miss her very much.
Our condolences to the Tankersley family and to the staff of Land Line magazine.
-Jeff Jensen and the staff of Expediters Online
Funeral Information
Royer Funeral Home
100 Royer Ln
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 847-4441
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Visitation: 2:00 PM
Services: 3:00 PM