Patience....

As the saying goes "patience is a virtue". A virtue that I would jump to live without, but unfortunately every day requires some amount of it. As goes waiting on deadline for some quotes and a picture.

The post below was referring to a story I did for the Laurens County Advertiser about retirees who are a part of the army of "pick-up men" for the local car dealers. Unfortunately these guys were on the go so much that I couldn't track them down for two days...two precious, life threatening days.

But in the end persistence paid off. I had already gone to the Advertiser to turn in my story with out a picture and without a single exciting graph in it. In other words the rule of thumb, as taught by Prof. Larry Timbs, "Why Should I Give A Shit" was not there.

But just as I was walking out the door the call came in that one of the road warriors was back and in Laurens. I rushed over, got the picture and got the anecdote I had been looking for the whole time.

Below is the finished story, which actually turned out okay.


Retirees Travel Road Less Traveled
by Kathleen Brown
For The Advertiser


Always on the move, the handful of men who do pick-ups of new and used cars for several of the car dealerships in town can be hard to reach, much less to persuade to keep their foot off the pedal long enough for a picture.

An “on-the-go” attitude is exactly what Bobby Cook, sales manager for Smith Chevrolet-Cadillac, looks for when hiring a driver, and it is exactly what can be found in the retirees that drive for the dealerships of Laurens County.

The drivers are given a destination, either a dealership or an auction yard where the purchased car awaits their arrival.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN - Jerry Pulley, pictured, is a regular driver for Smith Cheverolet-Cadillac in Laurens. "I retired from work, and this way I get to see places I wouldn't ordinarily get to see," Pulley said. His favorite "on the job" memory happened last year while en-route to a car destination in Greensboro, N.C. At a Wendy's restaurant Pulley was reunited with a military comrade he had not seen since 1962. Unexpected people and places is just a part of the job for the pick-up drivers of Laurens.

“Normally we look for people in good health and a clean driving record.” Cook said. “These guys love to drive.”

Joe Leopard, 71, had retired from his job as supervisor at J.P. Watts Plant when he came across a job that required lots of time and a steady foot. Since working for the dealership, Leopard has clocked thousands of miles picking up cars and inspecting them before turning around with them to Laurens.

“One time we went 750 miles in one trip,” Leopard said.

Long trips are not rare, although most of their pick-ups are from North Carolina or Georgia.

Leroy Workman, 68, who drives for Firmin Ford, is used to the road trips. Formerly a tractor-trailer driver, Workman has been doing pick-ups for dealerships around the county for almost five years.

He now makes his trips “locally,” as he calls it, which means stops at Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, or any other number of Southeastern states.

Technology has made it easier for many of the drivers who now rely on their own GPS systems to get from place to place. Although some still rely on maps and an earful of directions.

Dealerships around the state all have similar pick up systems, according to Cook. The “road trip” starts with two drivers in one car provided by the dealer. The pair then makes their way to the car, and then splits up to make the trip home solo.

The goal is to pick up the vehicle and return it, quickly and safely to the dealership, but heavy traffic and unexpected problems can hinder a speedy return. Leopard recalls several times when the car he was supposed to bring back delayed the trip back.

“Sometimes when we pick up the car the tires are flat, or the battery will be dead and we’ve got to get them fixed,” Leopard said.

The thing most of the guys say they enjoy is the open road and a good driving partner.

“We get to meet different people, and riding down together (with other drivers) is good fellowship,” Leopard said.

Jerry Pulley, 69 has been driving for two years and credits the work for taking him all over the southeast as well as reuniting him with an old friend.

On a drive to Greensboro, N.C. for a pick-up, Pulley walked into a Wendy’s for a quick bite to eat before heading back to Laurens. When he walked in he thought he saw a familiar face, but he couldn’t quite remember who the man was.

The stranger turned out to be a close friend he had made in basic training. The two had not seen each other since 1962.

“Before I could place him he was walking right up to me,” Pulley said. “I would have never seen him, had I not been driving.”

Award Winning Author Reaches Out

Story I wrote for the Laurens County Advertiser on Sheila P. Moses teaching a workshop at the Thornwell Home For Children.


The year is 1972 and a young women stands wide-eyed and breathless in a crowd of people listening to a determined African American woman speaking defiantly against the odds in an attempt to fight back against racial prejudice and to achieve her dreams.

Award winning author, Sheila P. Moses remembers vividly the impact left by the words of Shirley Chisholm, the first black major-party presidential contender for the United States on a campaign stop in her small North Carolina town.



“She came to my town to speak,” said Moses, “and that was the first time I saw a successful person outside of my community that told me, ‘you too can be great,’” said Moses.

The memory that Moses had of Chisholm has forever impacted her life, and she hopes to give a similar message to the children of Thornwell Home For Children.

Moses- author, poet, playwright, and producer- has been instructing classes of middle school and high school Thornwell students in a week-long writing workshop in the Thornwell Library.

The week began with an author’s reception hosted at the Gilliam Center Auditorium at Thornwell where Moses read from her self-proclaimed, “favorite book,” “The Legend of Buddy Bush,” which was published in 2003.

Her historical fiction novel was awarded the National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature in 2004 as well as the 2005 Coretta Scott King Author Honor title.

Her inspiration for the piece was very personal she said, as the entire book takes place in her hometown of Rich Square, NC, and centers around an infamous racial scandal.

Moses wanted her workshop attendees to work with what they knew best, and for some that meant writing their autobiographies. The stories of some of her students touched Moses on a personal level.

“These kids are not bitter about what is happening to them,” Moses said. “In a lot of the dedications they are writing, they are to their parents, Thornwell is a beautiful place, but everyone wants their mommy and daddy,”

For Moses, who has been hosting writing workshops since 1993, teaching at a “children’s home” was a new experience, but one that she said she has thoroughly enjoyed.



“I have taught at some of the finest private schools in the country, but nowhere have I seen such well adjusted children.” Moses said.

The workshop attendees were required to write a 10-page historical fiction story on the person of their choosing. The characters ranged from basketball player Magic Johnson to human rights activist, Malcolm X.

Moses encouraged the students to dig deeper into their characters’ lives. She urged the student who had chosen Magic not to focus on his basketball accomplishments, but on his work to improve HIV awareness.

Moses went on to praise the hard work the students had put into their writing in the short amount of time they were given to work.

“A lot of them came in here saying, ‘I can’t do it,’ “ Moses said, “and now they won’t stop writing for breaks.”

The idea for the workshop began when Moses learned of Thornwell through “a friend of a friend.” She contacted the school, and was quickly given the go-ahead for the program.

Lorain Crowl, Thornwell’s media director, explained that the organization has always sought out educational opportunities for the students during the summer when many school lessons are forgotten in the hot lazy days.

“The workshop gives a creative way to encourage students to keep their skills,” Crowl said. “They can have fun and probably learn more than they can in a whole English class.”

Anything to do with writing is a treat for Moses, who is determined to do her part to spread the love of writing wherever she goes.

“I used to write with a stick in the dirt and in the corners of the newspaper,” Moses said. “Writing is something that I will always do.”

Midway through the Wednesday high school class, Moses asked several of the students to read what they had completed on their stories.

Sheryl Richardson read her story, “I Am My Father’s Daughter.” based on author, Walter Dean Myers’ life, from the perspective of his daughter.

Her story was strikingly similar to that of many at Thornwell. A young boy, raised and loved by foster parents, goes on to achieve greatness.

“He began writing all day, every day,” Richardson read from her pages, printed from the computer she’d been working on.

Moses looked on, leaning forward, intent on catching every word.

“That was wonderful,” she said, moving back in her seat. Moses hopes to continue her relationship with Thornwell home saying that she would love to come back during the school year.

“I want them to know that they can fly as high as an eagle,” Moses said. “Just because they do not have a (traditional upbringing) does not mean that they cannot be great.”