The trucking industry lost one of its strongest advocates and we at Newport Communications lost one of our most esteemed colleagues and a dear friend with the passing of Bette Garber, HDT senior editor, on Nov. 13. She died following a lengthy illness. She was 65.

Bette's exceptional photography and feature articles have appeared on these pages and those of other Newport publications for more than 20 years.

She will probably be most remembered for her coverage of show truckers, that strange and charming breed that spend all their extra time gussying up their rigs into true works of art.

Bette loved trucks, and truckers. Her passion for the industry showed in her work. Her dedication to this industry was also demonstrated by her involvement in trucker charities. She served for years on the board of Trucker Buddy, the trucker pen-pal program with school children. She was also active in many other truck shows and convoys to raise money for trucker charities.

My memories of Bette will always be punctuated by the sheer delight she took in her work. She would call me thrilled by learning something new about the industry, gushing about the beauty of the next cool truck she photographed, her adventures on the road.

No one had more enthusiasm or joy than Bette did while pursuing her career and passion, trucking.

I could write a book sharing with you my experiences with Bette. But I also have pages and pages of letters from truckers and others in the industry who wanted to express their feelings at the passing of this truly remarkable woman. Here are just a few of them:

First is a letter Dave Sweetman, owner-operator with Horseless Carriage, a former colleague of Bette's at Newport and a close friend. He wrote the following to Bette during her illness.


Dave Sweetman

I had this visual of you, hanging out the window, motor-drive just-a-whirling, banging away at moving trucks, still trucks, cool trucks, ugly trucks, trucks with duct tape, trucks with "Diesel Fuel Makes Me Skip a House Payment" stickers. And, DAMMIT... Bette is cured. Bette has been through health Hell and back this winter, but she's healthy, cough-free and breathing air from the Rockies, the Iowa corn plains and even sucking a pure breath of California air (have another hit!)

Somewhere, during all of this, I hope a song comes on the tuneage and it hits you like a bolt of lightning. Something that sums up your trials and your regained healing and freedoms to be Bette. Of the road, of the road people that you meet in passing that leave a mark on your soul and your psyche. And all of that which makes your works in print and in photo truly your own, but shows us who we are.

We need you. We need your work and your words and your eyes.

There is no one better.


Kim Grimm, Owner-Operator

Nov. 13, the trucking world lost a very special woman and I lost a very dear friend. Bette rode with me on several occasions and we would keep in touch on a regular basis. We had quite the adventures on the road and as Bette used to say, we would "shop America" and the same thing about dining across America.

Bette would always try something new and different. Some things she loved and some things she found interesting and some things were just awful, but she at least tried them all, because after all, you don't know unless you try it. I think that's how she came to love the trucks and the people who drove them. She started shooting them at a different time in her life and she found the job she was meant to do, put her all into it and truly loved it.

We are putting together a tribute to Bette and we are going to use trucks to do it - The World of Large Cars: A Tribute to Bette Garber. There will be no judging, no trophies; just everyone who wants to come wash and park their truck and remember Bette. We will have a convoy - Bette loved the convoys! The dates are July 3-5 and it will be held in Carlinville, Ill.

She always told people "I can't make you rich, but I will make you famous." She did make us all rich, but it wasn't with money, it was with her friendship and love of all of us and what we do. Bette will still be riding with me, only now it's not going to be so hard for her to get in and out of the truck.

I was with her family the day after she passed away, and they would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love. They always knew Bette was loved in the trucking community, but now they are seeing how big that community is and just how many people she touched in her life.


Delia Moon Meier, Iowa 80 Truckstop

Bette was such a neat person. I believe that she has done more for recruiting drivers into the industry and promoting the image of professional truckers than anyone, and she did it because she truly was sharing her world with the outside world. Even bankers and dentists and stockbrokers would read an article of hers on a trucking show and feel that they were missing out on something special because they were not drivers. She got to know drivers as people and friends and not just her next story. That is why her photos and stories were fascinating, and why she was a gift.


Mike Horan, RoadWorks Manufacturing Inc.

I am writing you this note only to tell you what you already know. Bette Garber will be dearly missed and there is a giant hole in the trucking world in her absence. That being said, I would like to tell you why I considered Bette a friend.

I first met Bette in 1995 while working for the Iowa 80 Truckstop. She was always rushing to do something and was in a hurry to shoot as many beautiful trucks as time allowed. We had a few short conversations professionally. She was always polite as well as fascinating.

At the time I had a particular interest in her work because I had recently discovered the world of photography. Any truck show I attended, I would ask the photogs I saw questions about exposure or film choice. Mostly they were rude or above me. They usually responded with something like, "You just gotta know what you are doing."

Late one night near the end of the Walcott Truckers Jamboree in '96, I was out again to try to shoot night shots of the beautiful trucks. All my shots from the night before were a disaster. So when I saw Bette shooting the second night, I thought, what the heck. I leaned in during one of her shots and asked if she minded if I asked her a few questions. "Fire Away" she said. I asked her several of the same questions the snotty photogs were too good to answer. She'd fire back with more questions. Before I knew it we were traveling the lot filled with show trucks together and shooting side by side. It was noisy and she would shout the settings I should use on my camera. I helped keep the crowd out of her shots, and she helped my shots look like show trucks when they were done. We stayed out till about 1 a.m. when most of the lights on the trucks had gone to bed. I thanked her for her time and her hard work. She smiled and said, "Catch ya later."

I saw her the following day and she asked if I knew how my shots came out yet. She seemed eager to see them. I did not have them yet. We walked together and talked for a short time, all the while running into people Bette knew. Each time she would stop and say, "this is my friend, student and assistant Mike." She made me feel very included.

Bette always had time for me. It seemed every year we would shoot together at the Iowa show, until I transferred to another location then joined the RoadWorks Team. She was always in touch and called or e-mailed to say hi. I called her "Lucky Shot," even though I knew none of her shots were luck at all.

Bette came to our factory for a story. She visited with me and the owner just like she always does, relaxed and happy to be part of something.

Here at RoadWorks we are building our display truck for the 2009 show year. We build a truck every year. This year's truck is a beautiful black Peterbilt. I have named the truck Bette. So Bette will live on and attend all the major shows for 2009. It is the very least I can do for the lady who ALWAYS had time for me.

I will miss her very much.


Darrell Hicks, aka Uncle Darrell

Well, a legend is gone. What a great person. Bette and I had many, many conversations, not only at shows, but also on the phone.

This is the story of my last phone call to Bette.

In late June 2008, I was headed west on I-40 between Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas.It was night and I was running 65 mph on cruise control, my new personal speed limit. Lots of traffic was going by me and it is interesting to see who is running on, "wasting fuel."

Anyway, along came a rig with lights galore. I was curious what I would see as he pulled up. It was a flatbedder with a load of steel pipe. As he went on, I noticed he had a lot of lights on the headache rack. I signaled him in and low and behold, there was piece of art and a picture Bette would love to take. The interior of the pipes reflected the many red lights on the headache rack. It was beautiful. I called Bette right then to tell her what I was seeing and how it made me think of her. Ding, Ding, I forgot what time it would be in Pennsylvania. Oh, Oh! Time zones!"Bette, did I wake you up?I'm sorry." "Nooooooo!" We rejoiced in the sight I was seeing and then visited about our move to California, how our Airedale was taking the trip, her health, my health, and just remembered so many things. I just wish I had a picture of what I saw that night.

She was such a blessing to so many. I think of George and Mickey McGregor, Kozy Kabin 2, their 20-year-old Marmon and the big sleeper. We were together in Little Rock earlier and I called Bette and put her on the phone to George and Mickey. They just loved her.Like with most people, she made people prouder of their contribution to our industry. I watched her treat them so special at Walcott 2007.

We missed her this past July at Walcott. Now we know why. That pneumonia and the after effects never gave up.

May we all continue to maintain the high standards and pride in our work as she so well taught us to do.


A memorial fund for Bette has been established by her family. Checks should be made payable to the California Community Foundation, and the donor should write "Bette Garber Memorial Fund" in the memo line on the bottom left of the check. Mail to:

California Community Foundation

445 Figueroa St., Suite 4500

Los Angeles, CA 90071

Donations to the fund are tax deductible. For the foundation's tax I.D. number go their web site at:

http://calfund/pubdocuments/CCFTaxReturnsForm990FYE2007.pdf

Learn more about the foundation at www.calfund.org

As Kim Grimm noted in her letter, The World of Large Cars: A Tribute to Bette S. Garber, will be held July 3-5 at the MacOepin Fairgrounds, RR 2, Carlinville, Ill. It will include a truck show, convoy and fireworks. Everyone who knew Bette or were touched by her work are welcome to attend. More information on the show will be published as it becomes available on our web site at www.truckinginfo.com.

E-mail Deb Whistler at dwhistler@truckinginfo.com, or write P.O. Box W, Newport Beach, CA 92658.