The first and last person many students saw during the day
While presidential candidates strut around on political platforms promising to be the solution to all our problems, humble people like school bus driver Richard Wiltermood are busy caring for and protecting our most precious human possession every day.
Disabled and handicapped children were “Mr. Richard’s” (as he was called by the children) favorite passengers on his little yellow buses. The 81-year-old veteran WCSD bus driver recently passed away after 20 years of being the first and last person in the school district that many students saw each day. From the love and appreciation of the families he served and the colleagues and employers he worked with, to the person he was, they all miss Richard.
A former Peace Corps volunteer from Peoria, Illinois, he served in Africa after college and worked as a missionary across America before retiring from the California fishing industry and moving to the North Valleys in 2004.
In Reno, Richard began a post-retirement career in which he developed into a remarkable asset to WCSD, as his boss Bobby Evans put it., Site Manager: “Richard was older than anyone else at the bus depot, and he worked more hours than almost anyone else.” Evans told me that most days Richard came to work at the bus depot early to raise the American flag and stayed late to take it down.
“Richard was a real joy. He always came to work in a good mood,” Evans said. “He knew instinctively that school bus drivers can make the difference between a child having a good or bad day at school.”
“As long as the children were safe”
It was a bad day for Bobby Evans and Richard’s many other bus drivers when they learned he had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. By then, Richard had accumulated over 1,000 hours of sick leave, and his supervisor, Seth Wildschut, found it almost impossible to keep Richard from coming to work.
“Sometimes I had to let him stay home when he was sick because he loved his job and the kids so much,” said Wildschut. “He always had a smile on his face.”
Seth told me that Richard helped drivers and supervisors keep hope alive, “even when we went through tough times with floods and lockdowns. Nothing fazed him as long as the kids were safe.”
His supervisor told me that Richard often mediated between the parents of students in the Social Intervention Program (SIP) program and the school administration: “He chose to help these children and worked with many of their parents to make their lives easier, despite the special arrangements the state had given them.”
Boss Bobby Layne told me, “You could feel his (Richard’s) presence every time he walked into the room. I knew Richard myself from church and from the work he did as a handyman for our family business – he was one of those unique people whose kindness always shone through.”
I recently interviewed a well-known Nevada photographer and asked him who he hoped to see in “heaven.” He replied, “We’ll all be surprised who we see in heaven and who we don’t.” I and those who knew Richard Wiltermood will not be the least bit surprised if he ends up in heaven, no matter where our other destinations are.
Second career
Richard’s rural roots as a farmer may have been a precursor to his special sensitivity. His father was a prominent figure in Peoria’s horse community and was said to have the gift of communicating with animals. Richard inherited a deep affection for all living things and often spoke to trees, as his father did with horses. It’s no wonder he was regularly able to calm a special needs child on his bus – and his parents, too.
Finally, school bus drivers play a very important role in the lives of the children they transport to school, ensuring that young students have a safe mode of transportation with constant adult supervision.. A school bus driver’s job revolves around the students. It is their responsibility to ensure that your child gets to and from school safely and efficiently every day.
Famous quotes from school bus drivers include such notable things as: “This bus runs on time and smiling,” “Keep calm and keep driving,” “Buckle up for a learning adventure,” and “Eyes on the road, hearts on the kids.”
Everyone has heard the African proverb by now: “It takes a village to raise a child.” In education, it takes more than just classroom teachers to produce valuable assets for the next generation. It takes parents, teachers and other dedicated people to give children the emotional support they need to be successful. Being a school bus driver is one such opportunity for any early retiree or anyone like Richard Wiltermood who is looking for a fulfilling second career.
My dad became a school bus driver in Lake Tahoe after owning a business was no longer an option for him. He found it rewarding and said “it kept him young” to deal with aspiring hooligans like my friends and me.
A life’s work
Schools could use your support. The return on such an investment of time and heart was certainly fulfilling for “Mr. Richard.” His wife Kazoo told me, “Richard especially enjoyed helping disabled children. He got to know each of their families. He loved his job as if it were his life’s work.”
He loved his mission until his death. After a mild recovery from cancer, Richard was back in his boss Bobby Evans’ office a week and a half before his death, trying to negotiate a return to his job as a bus driver.
Early retirees and others who want to make a difference in the lives of young people should consider doing what Richard did. In his case, being the first and last person many students saw on the way to and from school was a blessing for both them and their aging school bus driver.
Politicians may promise to give us a world of their choosing. Unknown figures like Richard Wiltermood help us to preserve a world worth promising.
Your opinion? Email me at [email protected].
“Memo from the Middle” is an opinion column by RGJ columnist Pat Hickey, a member of the Nevada State Legislature from 1996 to 2016.
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