On the death of one man

Bob Shimeld

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.


13,853 responses to “On the death of one man”

  1. After a nice chat with Karen, an’ her oldest son – who was there helpin’ her move in, we forked our horses, mentioned our goodbyes, an’ headed back down the ribbon of black an’ out by means of the ranch gate.

  2. Along with some of the counseling and 12-step applications that you simply may take part in, you additionally get life skills and meaningful interplay with counselors and workers as you progress by this system.

  3. When persons are caught up within the emotional plot of The passion, all the extra-biblical additions — together with each step alongside the Catholic “Stations of the Cross” — become as real to the viewer’s virtual experience as the factual (however much less detailed and dramatic) message in the four gospels.

  4. After Hadid wore the sneakers, which cost $150, with scrunched-up white athletic socks and mini shorts whereas on a stroll to get a slice of pizza one afternoon, searches for them increased by 152 percent, in response to the brand.

  5. Consumables and disposable products such as gloves, bin baggage and sponges can easily be ordered in giant numbers, as there is no such thing as a need to fret about those provides deteriorating or spoiling with time.

  6. At least within the early phases, Breene and the team of tailors who lived with him in all probability did all this work collectively, literally in house, although later it will need to have been carried out on a extra giant-scale foundation.

  7. ????????????????????????????????????????8:
    00????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????001?????????????????????????????????
    ?????????????????????001??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  8. “???????????????2077??????????????3????-????????????????”.
    “????????2077?????????????????7???-?????????????????????”.????????????????????????????????????2023?9?5??1?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? “???”??????????????????? “????????2077?????????????2.0?????????????????? ???????????????”.

  9. 797?9?9??9?13?????16?8?14?? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 830?1?30??2?3?????7?1?3?? ???????????? – M7 – 7.5? 827?8?7??8?11?????4?7?12?? ????????????? –
    M6.5 – 7?????????????????? 734?5?14??5?18?????6?4?7?? ?????? – M7??????????????

  10. In Hindu magical practices, for example, the “legislation of karma” states that what you do will come again to you at full force — that’s, it is a “one-fold legislation of return” — not three-fold.

  11. ????11?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.
    2019?1?24??????? ??????????? ?? ?????? ??11 ???????????????
    ??????????????????????? ????????? ????????????? ?5??????????????????2001?11??295-??

  12. ??????????????????????????????????????????????? 2018?6?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????11????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  13. ????????? ???? ?????? ?? ??????????1989??????????? -????????????????????????2011?5?? 9?3?
    – ???????????????????????73????????????????????????????????????? ???????? ????????????????

  14. Ensure to retailer corrugated boxes away from moisture sources and egress factors resembling windows and doors, as a result of moisture can damage the material of the field and make it arduous to maneuver them.

  15. ???????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????1????????????????????????????????1????3??????????52??2???????????????????????????????????????????????22?-?24??????????? “. ???????.

  16. Brad for lending his experience to your challenge, and to assist help his ability to keep tempo with recent developments and functions of water harvesting.

  17. 1996?????????????????1???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????8???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  18. ??? ????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????32??2021?4?1??2?? ???????????OEM???????????????????????????????????2011?1?28??

  19. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????? ??????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????1?1200??”.

  20. In pesticide residue analyzers, the FET3568-C platform gives strong support for efficient operation with its excellent computational power and energy administration capabilities.

  21. ???????????????????????????????????? ???????? ???????????OEM??????????????????????????????????2003?7?4?? ????(????)?????.
    ?? (2018?1?18?). 2020?9?5???? “??????”.

    ????CARAVAN STORIES?????????????.
    “??????”. ???? ??????????.
    “?????????… “?????????EV???? ?????????”.???????????????????????????????????????????????

  22. ???????????16??2004???????????:
    Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake in 2004?????????????????????????????????????????????????????6?????????1996??3-10??NDLJP:
    10503941? ????????????????????????????????????????????1.

  23. Simply wish to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity for your submit is just nice and i can assume you’re an expert in this subject. Fine along with your permission let me to grasp your RSS feed to stay up to date with impending post. Thank you 1,000,000 and please carry on the rewarding work.

  24. Aw, this was a very nice post. In thought I would like to put in writing like this additionally ? taking time and actual effort to make a very good article? however what can I say? I procrastinate alot and under no circumstances appear to get one thing done.

  25. Thanks for your post. I also think laptop computers have gotten more and more popular today, and now tend to be the only form of computer utilised in a household. This is due to the fact that at the same time that they’re becoming more and more inexpensive, their computing power keeps growing to the point where these are as effective as pc’s from just a few in years past.

  26. For while one James “Red” Robinson, a youthful member of a “tough gang” from nearby Winfield, was indeed arrested on charges of murdering Breene, he was very swiftly let go for lack of evidence, and went again to his life of petty crime.

  27. Generally I don’t learn article on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very compelled me to check out and do it! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you, quite great post.

  28. Providing a caring and compassionate remedy program for all walks of life in a luxurious rehab setting, the place peace and beauty provide help to rejoice once more the joy of being sober.

  29. certainly like your web site but you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to tell the truth nevertheless I will definitely come back again.

Leave a Reply to ?? ?? ?? ?? Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *