To the editor:

Having attended a small country school, I was greeted each morning by a mean, miserable man behind the wheel of the school bus. The memory sticks with me today. Now, I am that man behind the wheel of the school bus and my goal is to be the opposite of my bus driver years ago. Greeting each student with a smile and a “Good morning” may lead to a fond memory of their school years.

One student, Charlie Poole, turned the tables on me. Each morning, Charlie Poole would hop on the bus and greet me with a warm smile and respect that I was trying to give him. I knew that Charlie’s bus ride memory would be a good one. I did not know that Charlie would leave this world so soon. Now I am the one with the bus ride memory once again. Only this time around, I will forever remember the kind and caring and respectful gentleman named Charlie Poole.

Daniel Lawless

F-M Transportation Department