NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH-LOUDON, TN-STRETCH OF LOUDON HIGHWAY NAMED FOR YOUNG PUBLIC SERVANT

Stretch of Loudon highway named for young public servant On Thanksgiving Day 2007, 25‐year‐old Trey Lefler of Loudon passed away due to injuries he sustained in a serious car accident that also claimed the life of his close friend, Cody Bowers, of Madisonville.

LOUDON, Tenn. (SUBMITTED) -- On Thanksgiving Day 2007, 25‐year‐old Trey Lefler of Loudon passed away due to injuries he sustained in a serious car accident that also claimed the life of his close friend, Cody Bowers, of Madisonville.

At the time of his death, Lefler was living in Nashville and working as a state field representative on U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander’s 2008 reelection campaign. He previously worked as an aide to Senator Alexander in Washington, D.C.

To honor Lefler’s public service, State Representative Jim Cobb (R‐Spring City) and State Senator Randy McNally (R‐Oak Ridge) sponsored a resolution, which was passed and signed into law in 2008, naming a two‐mile stretch of U.S. Highway 11 in Loudon the “Trey Lefler Memorial Highway” to, as the resolution states, “provide for a lasting tribute to an astute, generous, and honorable Tennessean who lived a bountiful life of purpose and commitment.” *A copy of the resolution is attached.

The highway will be dedicated on Saturday, April 24 at 10 a.m. in Loudon.

Lefler’s family has been vocal about his decision to become an organ and tissue donor and chose April for the highway dedication to promote National Donate Life Month, a time designated to celebrate those, like Trey Lefler, who have saved lives by becoming organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donors and to encourage more Americans to follow their example.

According to Tennessee Donor Services, Senior Public Relations Coordinator Lefler renewed his driver’s license at a kiosk in Nashville on May 14, 2007, and marked “yes” to organ donation. That decision provided life‐giving organs to two single mothers in their forties, a 56‐year‐old mother of two who had been married for 28 years, a 36‐year‐old gentleman who enjoyed fishing (one of Lefler’s favorite pastimes), and a 62‐year‐old physician and father of four who had been on the transplant list for two years.

Lefler was a 2004 graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, where he was captain of the basketball team, a member of the Order of Gownsmen and actively involved in outreach activities including a service trip to Kingston, Jamaica. He was valedictorian of the Loudon High School class of 2000, captain of the Loudon Redskins football and basketball teams and the recipient of several honors recognizing leadership and service.