Rural Fostorian retires after driving Lakota bus for 44 years

A month ago, rural Fostoria resident Harold Purkey hadn’t even planned on driving bus when he got a call from Lakota Schools saying they needed a substitute driver.
But Purkey, who had been subbing for Lakota for the last 17 years, agreed and was given a short route in Amsden, ironically where his career began....
The start of a career
Forty four years ago after church one Sunday morning, Purkey’s pastor mentioned an immediate opening for a bus driver to Purkey.
Purkey had since returned from Europe after serving in the Army and he and his wife, high school sweetheart Ruth Ann, had a new home on a farm and a small child — their oldest son, Leon.
“I thought it over and decided we needed the money (when Purkey started, he made $2.25 per hour) so I took the position because I would make more than if I had just farmed for a living. School was starting the next week,” Purkey explained.
So he quickly headed to Fremont to take a test, which he passed “with flying colors,” with the exception of a confusing set of railroad tracks.
He drove his first route in Amsden for a few years before switching to Risingsun.
“When I first got into the bus to learn how to drive, I looked back through the rearview mirror and that bus looked five miles long.”
Purkey took a few sports teams to games in his early years and it was then he had his first memorable experience.
After only three days on the job, Purkey was assigned to drive a football team to Gibsonburg. On the way home, they came across a car sitting in the middle of the road.
At that time, there weren’t radios in the buses, so Purkey turned on his flashers and walked to the nearest house at 10:30 p.m. to call a sheriff.
“It was really dangerous; I’ll never forget that episode,” he chuckled.
Once during a nasty winter storm, Lakota’s superintendent told Purkey school was being let out early.
After safely delivering all the children on his route, which took almost two hours, it was dark by the time Purkey made it back home.
“There’s not much of a recipe to keep the kids calm when you’re in trouble. You just have to concentrate on your driving,” Purkey said.
And life happened
Purkey and his wife eventually had two more children, their daughters, Louise and Lynette.
Ruth Ann even began driving bus with Harold after serving as the high school’s secretary for seven years.
When Purkey retired from driving bus full-time after 27 years, he had been driving a route around Bradner.
By this time, a lot had changed.
For one, Purkey was now required to attend safety banquets once a year.
“I learned a lot from them like things I was personally supposed to be doing on a regular basis,” he explained. “For example, there’s steps you have to take in a certain order when you pull up to stop sign.”
Other changes Purkey saw were switching from clutches to automatic transmission and added several safety features to the buses, including extra mirrors and warning lights.
“People didn’t have much warning in the past when a bus stopped. And years ago we didn’t have all these mirrors. I didn’t realize it then, but I see how it’s improved — they’re good features,” he said.
By this time, a CDL was required, which has to be renewed every six years by taking several hours of instruction for review and updates.
Lakota also purchased a few buses with a different slope on the front end that Purkey said makes it easier to see small children crossing the streets.
Every morning, Purkey said each bus driver must complete a pre-trip inspection before the bus leaves the garage.
“It’s your responsibility to check all the lights, seats, tires, windows, safety equipment, fluid levels, brakes, etc.,” Purkey explained.
Final retirement
Over the years, Purkey has collected several gifts from students, which he displays in his living room as reminders.
One is a painting he received in the early 1970s of a bus driving down a rural road with a red barn and silo in the background.
Another is an embroidered photo of a bus with children peeking through the windows with Purkey’s name.
“It was a fun 44 years; I had a few bad moments I have to admit, but the good has definitely outweighed the bad ...,” Purkey reminisced. “I guess if I had to do my life over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Purkey has three grandchildren, two of whom are attending college and one who recently graduated from Bluffton University.

http://www.fostoriafocus.com/viewarticle.asp?artID=9195