I met Bob Shimeld only once, several years ago, on a bus. We chatted for all of 15 minutes, if that, but the conversation stuck with me. I never forgot him.
It was a summer morning in Longview, Texas, and the bus picked up Shimeld in front of a Walmart store on the north side. Boarding took longer than usual because the driver had to get up and help Shimeld with his electric wheelchair. The back of his chair, I noticed, had been decorated with a Massachusetts novelty license plate that read B-O-B, for Bob.
Shimeld said he moved from the Northeast about five years earlier to escape the winters in his home state. “If you stay still too long, your wheelchair will freeze to the ground,” he joked. “No snow tires for a wheelchair.”
He claimed to have thrown a dart at a map of Texas. The dart hit Longview, so that’s where he went. He liked the place. The people were friendly. He was a 72-year-old military veteran who described his days as “a lot of sitting around,” which was easy enough to do in a wheelchair.
I got off the bus a few stops after Shimeld boarded, and I never saw him again. After that day, I also never got back on the bus. When I am in East Texas and need to make a grocery run, or want to go to a restaurant or anywhere else, I hop in my Jeep or ride with someone else. Our cities are built for getting around with a car. My only reason for riding the bus on that day was to visit with the passengers of Longview Transit for a story that appeared in the newspaper.
The passengers I met included elderly retirees who could no longer drive safely. Other passengers worked the kinds of low-paying jobs that help keep the rest of our lives running smoothly: a grocery store cashier, for example, and a hairdresser with epilepsy. One man named John Solomon had just finished his shift scrubbing dishes at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. His hands, wrists and forearms were peeling badly from the soapy water, but he hadn’t noticed. He was traveling home to spend the evening with his young son and daughter.
Most of the people I met that day were dealing with less-than-ideal circumstances, but they were upbeat and optimistic about their futures. They had jobs and homes, and they talked about their determination to better their lives. They seemed to make Longview a richer place. Somehow they managed to do it all without a vehicle, a complication that most of us would never consider.
That was in 2009. Shimeld died on Dec. 16. I read about his death in the newspaper. He was trying to cross McCann Road near a busy intersection not far from K-Mart when a pickup turned onto the road and struck him.
The News-Journal reported that Shimeld was the sixth pedestrian killed in the city in 2014. That’s three times the average death rate for pedestrians in Texas, the paper also reported. A subsequent editorial described the “grim realities of the danger while walking” and noted that municipal officials are aware of the problem and are planning to address it in the city’s next comprehensive plan. Well, good.
Where Shimeld died, the intersection does not have a crosswalk. Lots of the city’s intersections don’t, because so few people need them. But some do. People like Shimeld. I’ll try not to forget that.
14,973 responses to “On the death of one man”
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a material!
existing here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web
site.
Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of us have developed some nice methods and we are looking to swap solutions with others, please shoot me an email if interested.
Interesting review! I’ve been struggling to lose those
last stubborn pounds, and SlimJaro sounds like it could be worth a
shot—especially if it supports metabolism naturally.
Has anyone seen noticeable results after a few weeks?
Trying to decide if it’s worth adding to my routine.
Hi, after reading this amazing paragraph i am as well cheerful to share my familiarity here
with mates.
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my website thus i came to ?return the favor?.I’m attempting to find things to enhance my website!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!
???????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????????? [url=https://www.zaborizproflista.ru/iz-profnastila]https://www.zaborizproflista.ru/iz-profnastila[/url] .
Wonderful beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear idea
Everything is very open with a clear clarification of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing!
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!
You can certainly see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this fantastic blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will share this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality websites on the net. I am going to highly recommend this web site!
This is the perfect blog for anyone who wishes to find out about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic that’s been discussed for years. Wonderful stuff, just great.
Have you ever thought about including a little bit more
than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental
and all. But think of if you added some great photos or videos to give your posts more, “pop”!
Your content is excellent but with pics and clips, this blog could
certainly be one of the greatest in its niche. Terrific blog!
bookmarked!!, I love your site!
I was able to find good info from your blog articles.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this article plus the rest of the site is extremely good.
After I originally commented I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I recieve four emails with the same comment. There has to be a way you can remove me from that service? Appreciate it.
Hi there! This article could not be written any better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I’ll send this post to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!
Aw, this was a really nice post. In thought I would like to put in writing like this additionally ?taking time and precise effort to make an excellent article?however what can I say?I procrastinate alot and on no account appear to get something done.
Greetings from Carolina! I’m bored to death at work so I
decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break.
I enjoy the information you present here and can’t wait to take a look
when I get home. I’m amazed at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, good blog!
That is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read post.
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Best wishes! Exactly where can I find the contact details for questions?
This web site truly has all of the information I wanted concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Thanks very nice blog!
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the greatest websites on the internet. I’m going to recommend this site!
You’ve made some decent points there. I looked on the web for more info about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this website.
First of all I would like to say fantastic blog!
I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if
you don’t mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear
your head before writing. I’ve had a hard time clearing my mind in getting my
thoughts out there. I truly do enjoy writing however it just seems like the
first 10 to 15 minutes are lost just trying to figure out how to
begin. Any suggestions or hints? Many thanks!