Butch Says Thanks to the School Bus Drivers

Each day the lives of our children are placed in the hands of some very special men and women of our county…the school bus drivers. From the early days of horse-drawn “hacks” to the present days of large, well-equipped motor buses, our school bus drivers have served our community well. While the teachers and administrators were the parents away from home at school, the bus drivers acted in the same capacity for our kids to and from school. Through all kinds of weather and road conditions, they have done an outstanding job.

   If you think back to the days when you rode the bus, you will recall that the school bus drivers took special care in bad weather, often driving the students up the lane to their house to let them off. They also had to be disciplinarians when kids got out of line. Safety was their paramount concern. When students were late walking to the bus or failed to inform the drivers that they wouldn’t be riding that particular day, the drivers never complained. At Christmas time, many drivers handed out special treats to the youngsters. My bus driver Marvin Branstetter always reversed his route on the last day of school just for fun, smiled, and told us to have a great summer.

   My Dad, Bill Dale, was a school bus driver for over twenty years. He had a great sense of humor and liked to kid the students and play practical jokes on them. For many years, especially in the late 1960s when Darlington had those great basketball teams, he drove the bus to the away games. He was like a second father to the basketball boys and the cheerleaders, and one year the team purchased a letter sweater with a large “D” that said “Bus Driver” on it, just like the honor sweaters that the athletes received. Dad was always proud of that sweater, and my siblings and I made a request to Mr. Burkhart that Dad would wear it at his funeral in 1991.

   When I wrote a book about Darlington school in 1988, I received a few comments about the school bus drivers…”Cecil Cox was my bus driver…such a wonderful and patient man!”…”I’ll always remember Ham Cox whistling while he drove.”…”Ed Williamson was the one who nick-named me Pee Wee because I was so little and my sister had to help me on the bus.”…”Our bus driver Mr. Mullen had the patience of a saint and used to wait at the end of the lane every morning while we ran down the hill to meet the bus.”…”My bus driver Joe McClaskey used to call my sister Gigglin’ Gertie. He was stern, but loved to tease us.” And my best friend Steve Weliever wrote, “Naturally I remember my Dad driving the school bus. He was a hell of a nice guy!”

   To the school bus drivers of the good old days, and to the drivers of today…Thanks for all you do!

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 36 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.