funded his move and the operations, his grandson recalled. Eventually, H.E. would turn his 100 or so trucks (many were owner-operator) toward road con- struction work. The Interstate Highway Act of 1956,
H.E. McConnell II - 1960, I-30 bridge facing south
as well as the eventual development of the Arkansas River Lock and Dam projects in the 1960s, opened up oppor- tunity for H.E.’s trucks in the Natural State, so he and son Ed, who was born in 1939, and the rest of the McConnell crew headed east. H.E. McConnell, who started his
business in Pennsylvania in 1931, was known as a go-getter, hustling for jobs, and a straight-shooting boss during the workday that would also be the kind of guy to pal around with after work. Ed McConnell, who died in 2009, was described as a complete opposite of his father. More of the mild-mannered type, Hugh III takes after his father. He grew up seeing his mom and dad work together for 30 years. Susie, his mom, lives in retirement in Hot Springs. “In the late ’70s, the company
Hugh Edward McConnell III and H.E McConnell Sr. (left and second from left) “WE HAVE BEEN SO BLESSED. WE HAVE A REALLY
GOOD GROUP OF GUYS. THEY ARE LIKE OUR FAMILY AND WE FEEL RESPONSIBLE TO THEM. IF WE MAKE A DECISION IT’S NOT JUST BASED ON IF WE’RE GOING TO MAKE IT. IT EFFECTS EVERYONE.”
—ERIN McCONNELL
transitioned from dump trucks because the road building was pretty much out, the market was pretty much flooded,” Hugh said. “I remember Dad saying he moved to delivering more dry-bulk-type material. There were a lot of trucks, not a lot of work, so we got into dry-bulk items like sand, fertilizer, lime, things like that.”
PERFECT MATCH Erin had graduated from Southern
Arkansas University in her native Magnolia and was working at what was then Metropolitan Bank when she met Hugh McConnell, who happened to bank there along with the entire McConnell clan. “I know she didn’t marry me for
Today, McConnell’s primary busi-
ness is hauling cement or other dry bulk commodities (fly ash, sand) in pneumatic trailers for use in the con- struction industry. Before the shift to the pneumatic trailers, though, they carted rock, sand and other construc- tion necessities to such projects as the
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Interstate 30 construction in Little Rock and North Little Rock in 1960. It was the road work that brought
H.E. McConnell to Central Arkansas after the coal-hauling business had run its course in Oklahoma. H.E. was lured to Bokoshe, Okla., from Pennsylvania by the S.C. Evans Coal Company, which
my money,” Hugh joked. “I got to meet his parents because
they all banked there. We started dating and got married,” Erin said, continuing the story. “She had a weak moment,” Hugh
interjected. Erin then spent eight years work-
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 5 2014
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