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.
12,063 responses to “On the death of one man”
Pappas, Stephanie. “Humans on Verge of Causing 6th Great Mass Extinction.” LiveScience.
The dividend rate is the total amount of dividends paid in a year, divided by the principal value of the preferred share.
If the tester bulb lights, you already know the outlet is malfunctioning — there may be current flowing to the outlet, nevertheless it is not flowing by means of the outlet to offer power to the equipment plugged into it.
So if an choices buying and selling system that makes use of technical analysis as certainly one of it is signals is a good suggestion, will it assist you to to earn money on each trade?
Proceeding to Tatooine, Reva makes an attempt to kill an unconscious Luke, however, reminded of her younger self, elects to spare him.
Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite
justification appeared to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of.
I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people think about worries that they just do not
know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well
as defined out the whole thing without having
side effect , people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more.
Thanks
These are really fantastic ideas in about blogging.
You have touched some fastidious factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.
Hey there! I’ve been following your weblog for
some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out
from Huffman Tx! Just wanted to mention keep up the
excellent job!
The complete suite of benefits obtainable may depend upon the character of the veteran’s dismissal – usually an honorable discharge or retirement is critical for entry to all advantages.
Film studios saw an opportunity to make more money, and so they started to promote movies on tape.
Who do we must thank for this wonderful-tasting fast food?
What’s more, maintenance prices are next to nothing, since most warranties for new cars final three years – which is normally around the same period of time as the average lease interval.
Your finest wager is to discover a ring they already put on and measure the inside diameter.
Hogan, Jenny. “Lone wolf brings pack again from the brink.” The brand new Scientist.
Hi I am so grateful I found your web site, I really found you by mistake, while I was browsing on Askjeeve for something else,
Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thanks
for a marvelous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at
the moment but I have book-marked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to
read much more, Please do keep up the great work.
Medical Director of the Oncology Program at the WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital.
Next, the airbag deploys and absorbs some more of your forward motion while protecting you from hitting anything hard.
Gam Woo-sung, Kim Solar-ah, co- grand prize..
??????????? ???? ?? ?????????! ????? ?? ?????? ???????? ? ?????????, ? ???????? ???????????? ???????????? ??? ?????? [url=https://taxi-gelendzhik-aeroport.ru/novorossiysk]такÑи геленджик новороÑÑийÑк[/url]
. ?????? ?? ??? ???????????? ? ?????????, ????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ?????, ??? ??????? ??????????? ??????? ??????????? ? ???????. ????? ?????? ???????, ????? ????? ?????????? ? ????????????? ??? ????? ?? ?????????. ????? ??? ????????? ?? ????????? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ??????????? ????? ?????? ???????? ???? ????? ??????? ???????? ?????? ? ??????!
Ultimately, your Facebook profile will be as unique as you are.
If you wish for to grow your experience only keep visiting this web site and be updated with the hottest
news posted here.
Conferences aren’t confined to business solely.
Hello there, I found your site by the use of Google
at the same time as looking for a related subject, your
web site came up, it looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google,
and located that it is truly informative. I am gonna be careful for brussels.
I will be grateful in the event you proceed this in future.
Numerous other people will be benefited from your
writing. Cheers!
The aim of the sport is to steal the other team’s flag and bring it again to your base.
By no means is this article meant to hurt the individuals of Japan.
Central Bank of Libya after the 1969 coup d’état.
As more and more devices hop online, they transmit and store data that’s incredibly useful for criminal investigations and civil litigation.
You may seek deferment or forbearance anytime during the repayment period, but you may not be eligible if you are in default.
Symptoms typically occur inside three to 15 days after the chew of the infected mosquito.
Hi there, its pleasant paragraph regarding media print, we all understand media is
a impressive source of facts.
Hurrah! After all I got a website from where I be able to really get valuable information regarding my study and knowledge.
If you can’t get any satisfaction and feel you’re not being treated pretty by the creditor, you possibly can contact the agency to which they report.
Your cash is totally guaranteed when it comes to pay and interest and protection against value improve.
This book is structured like a class, with specific emphasis on using chart patterns to help investors identify the best risk-reward scenarios for trading options.
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the layout of your blog?
Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
But maybe you could a little more in the way of
content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures.
Maybe you could space it out better?
One vital piece of information so as to add to the sheet is the precedence code (or lead assessment).
??????, ???? ??????! ????? ?? ???????? ? ???? ????????, ? ???????? ???????????? ??? ?????? [url=https://taxi-anapa-aeroport.ru/port-kavkaz]такÑи анапа порт кавказ[/url]
????? ????????? ?????????? ??????????. ? ????? ???????, ??? ????????????? ??????: ????? ?????? ????? ??????, ????????? ?? ???? ? ???? ???????? ??????? ????? ????????. ??, ? ?????? ???????, ????? ????????? ???????, ????? ?????????? ????? ????? ?????, ???????? ? ??????? ???? ??? ? ?????????? ???????.
??? ???? ?????????? — ??? ????????? ???????. ????????? ????? ?????? ????????????? ? ??????????? ?? ???? ? ???????????. ??????, ??? ??????? ? ???? ? ?? ?? ????? ? ?????? ????? ????? ?????????? ??-???????. ??? ????? ???? ???????????, ???????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ? ????? ?????????.
??? ?? ???????????? ? ????? ????????????? ?????, ? ????-?? ???? ??????, ??? ?????????? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ????????? ?? ????????? ???????? ?????? ??????? ? ?????????!
Use 1 teaspoon of mustard or ketchup or 1 tablespoon of fat-free mayonnaise rather than 1 tablespoon of standard mayonnaise.
Ask the librarian to reboot the pc earlier than you do any severe banking, as that ought to minimize, but not eliminate, the risk.
I pay a quick visit every day some web sites and blogs to read articles, except this weblog presents feature based posts.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Very well written.
Crypto-cleaning is still in its infancy and is reckoned to account for just a fraction of all money laundering.
whoah this weblog is magnificent i love studying your articles.
Stay up the good work! You know, lots of individuals are looking around for this info,
you could help them greatly.
I was recommended this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as
no one else know such detailed about my difficulty. You’re wonderful!
Thanks!
I seriously love your blog.. Pleasant colors & theme.
Did you build this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own website and
would like to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named.
Kudos!
Primarily based on the Ford F-250 HD Super Responsibility pickup truck platform, it was advertised as the world’s greatest, heaviest sport-utility car.
It’s remarkable in favor of me to have a site, which is useful for my experience.
thanks admin
Hello mates, its enormous post about teachingand fully defined, keep it up all the time.
Also, potential buyers keep away from living in a neighborhood that has several vacant properties.Typically, neighborhoods with a high share of foreclosures may ultimately be purchased up by foreclosed property buyers whose main focus is flipping the houses into rentals and seek section eight potential tenants.
Hurrah, that’s what I was searching for, what a information! present here at this web site,
thanks admin of this site.