MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Southern Airways Express honored former Greater Memphis Chamber President Phil Trenary Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, by naming a new aircraft after him.
Trenary was shot and killed in downtown Memphis in September 2018 while leaving an event in the South Bluffs area.
Trenary played a key role in helping to launch Southern Airways Express. So the company wanted to honor him by naming its newest Saab 340 aircraft after him.
"We thought this would be the most fitting tribute - that we could have is a plane that was operated by Phil Trenary, named the Phil Trenary,” said Stan Little, CEO of Southern Airways Express.
Before his time with the Greater Memphis Chamber, Trenary worked in the aviation industry. He founded Lone Star Airlines in 1987, then moved to Memphis in 1997 as President and CEO of Pinnacle Airlines. He left there in 2011, and became President and CEO of the Chamber in 2014.
"Phil was a giant in the aviation industry and was instrumental in advising us when we launched Southern Airways in Memphis a decade ago," said Little. "He went from wise counsel to dear personal friend. We could think of no better tribute to his memory than to dedicate this plane, an aircraft type that he operated from Memphis, in his memory."
"Our family is beyond grateful to Southern Airways for honoring our father's legacy in such a heartfelt way," said Pearce Trenary, Phil's youngest son, in a news release. "'Do What You Love'… those are the words Dad lived by and instilled in us. He had a deep love for his family, aviation, friends everywhere, Memphis, and the aircraft that brings those things together."
‘The Phil Trenary’ aircraft will run a daily route between the Hawaiian Islands in support of Southern’s Mokulele Airlines. This is one of only three aircraft named for individuals in the Southern Airways Express fleet. ‘The Phil Lefevre’ is named for Southern's longtime Chief Operating Officer who died of cancer earlier this year and ‘The Paul Tashie’ is named for the Memphis businessman who rallied support for a Memphis to Destin route before dying from cancer this year).
Police charged Quandarius Richardson, McKinney Wright Jr., and Racanisha Wright with first-degree murder in Trenary’s death. The trial for Wright and Richardson is expected to start in December.