DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1991
ALABAMA HONORS CHUCK POLAND, HIS STUDENTS
Te Alabama State Board of Education in March honored slain
bus driver Charles “Chuck” Poland, Jr. and the children involved in the Jan. 29 Midland City school bus abduction. State Schools Superintendent Tommy Bice remembered Poland, a
Dade County driver who was gunned down while protecting the chil- dren on his bus from an armed intruder. Poland’s wife, Mary Janice, and his daughter were overwhelmed by the show of support. For the first time, Mary Janice met the students who were on Po-
land’s bus, including 6-year-old Ethan, who was abducted by armed trespasser Jerry Lee Dykes. After students were presented with proclamations, some visited
Poland’s permanent memorial outside the superintendent’s office in Montgomery. One student who was new to Poland’s route said he now thinks of him every time he boards a school bus. Dykes had originally demanded two children, but Poland resisted.
After brief negotiations, Dykes shot down Poland and fled with Ethan to an underground bunker, where he held him for five days. When hostage negotiations broke down, SWAT team members breached the bunker and shot and killed Dykes in the much-publicized rescue. During the BOE ceremony, Mary Janice hugged the students and said she considers them her children now, said Superintendent Bice.
Ü BIZ BITES Trans Tech Bus added three new dealers to its
network: National Bus Sales (Marietta, Ga.), Diamond State International (Conway, Ark.) and Trans Tech Bus Sales and Service of New England … Air-conditioning and heating manufacturer ProAir, LLC is celebrating its 35th anniversary … Ontario-based school bus contractor Landmark Transportation officially acquired Sinton Transportation of Simcoe County … Education Logistics Inc. (Edulog), which specializes in logistics and GPS for school transportation, added 20 new employees to its staff in Missoula, Mont. … Spartan Motors Inc. recognized top- performing suppliers, including Allison Transmission and Cummins Bridgeway, at its Supplier Conference … Blue Bird said it continues an industry first of offering the Colorado Rack and Kentucky Pole Test specifications as standard features on its conventional and transit-style school buses.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
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