Harold A. Wheeler
Elected: January 15, 2003
Inducted: October 18, 2003
Born: February 22, 1940 in Danbury, Connecticut
Married to Kathleen for 35 years and father to David, MariAnn and Ginger, none of whom are involved in the towing and recovery industry.
Harold has been in the towing and recovery industry for 16 years, eleven of which as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Towing Association. During that time he has grown the PTS to well over 225 members and it has become of the most respected state towing associations in America. In this post, Harold has been active with the Pennsylvania State Police in developing towing regulations and rotation programs. He has lobbied the state legislature for laws relating to overweight exemptions, highway safety and other issues important to towers. And, Harold has worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on beltway service patrols and incident management. Under his leadership, the state association now boasts a membership with one of the highest percentage of certified towers of any association. Harold has also worked extensively for the past 10 years with the American Towman Exposition Planning Committee and takes pride in being a mentor to every tower in Pennsylvania.
In addition to his affiliation with PTA, Harold is also a member of TRAA, the Conference of Northeastern Towing Associations, the Federal Highway Task Force, Eastern Regional Tow Expo founding member and the Pennsylvania DOT Task Force for Improving Safety on Highways. Harold was the recipient of the Tow Times Readers’ Choice-Best Association Executive Director, 2002 and recognized by the PTA for 11 years of outstanding service.
Active in three churches, he serves as a youth fellowship leader, on the Board of Missions and Evangelism and in the Allenwood Federal Prison Ministry. He and his wife are house-parents to six girls, ages 12 through 18 and they also sponsor children in China and Peru. His Christian and community credits are too numerous to list in this brief biography.
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HALL OF FAME NOMINEE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Tow Equipment/Product Innovation
Innovation of a product sold in the marketplace that has helped move the industry forward. Candidate must have a minimum of 10 years of service to the industry.
Exemplary Dedication
Candidate must have 20 years running a towing business in an outstanding and exemplary manner, promoting a positive image of the towing industry and have positive relations with the community, i.e., performing services for the community about and beyond the services for hire. Limit: One inductee per year.
Industry Leadership
Leadership involved with an outstanding project that has had a dynamic and lasting effect on the towing industry. Candidate must have minimum 10 years service to the towing industry.
Professional Achievement
Creating a product or service of any kind that has had a significant and lasting effect on thousands of towing professionals. Candidate Must have a minimum of 10 years to the industry.