Tommy Taylor & Norman Rockwell
What if instead of worrying about things beyond our control, we
• just worked hard every day?
• made a point of smiling whenever possible?
• tried to find the positive in every situation?
I have seen what happens when those aspirations are fulfilled – and it is wonderful to see. I know because I had the pleasure of interviewing Tommy Taylor on one of his last days before his recent retirement after 41 years of working in the maintenance department at La Grange ISD.
I asked Tommy what the worst part of his job was. There wasn’t a bad part he said. Superintendent Bill Wagner, who worked with Tommy for 37 years, said if Tommy had a bad day he never saw it.
The story on Tommy appeared in the Jan. 5 edition. I know the respect I had for Tommy, but I had no idea how many other lives he had touched – but I quickly found out.
While some people chose to use Facebook for less than positive purposes (politics, anyone?) last week 118 people chose to comment about Tommy in our newspaper’s Facebook link to the story about him.
I can’t remember a story getting that kind of response before.
In a week when it might be really important to remember just how much positivity can mean in this world, I thought it would be nice to put in print some of the words people online had to say about Tommy Taylor – plus he doesn’t have a Facebook page (which is probably another reason he could always smile).
Here’s a few of the most touching things people said about him.
• A man with a constant peace about him. He is every bit a teacher in his own right.
• He is a wonderful man that always has a smile on his face.
• Those will be tough shoes to fill... not only in the work he did but with the kind words and smiles that he exhibits every day.
• He was my bus driver many years ago and I just love him.
• Tommy is one of the most stand up men I have ever had the pleasure to know. The friendship he had with my dad and the respect he showed to myself and my family when he took care of my dad after his passing is something I will never forget.
• Best bus driver ever.
• He is the nicest man ever.
• Thank you for absolutely all your name stands tall for in Fayette County.
• You are a role model to the entire community.
• I always enjoyed seeing you on campus when I was a student - you always had a smile and a kind word!
• Congrats Tommy! You’ve touched more hearts than you’ll ever know.
• You definitely made a impact on us all.
• You have always had such a kind spirit about you. Thank you for always being an outstanding person!
Thanks to Tommy Taylor, I’ve got some loftier New Year’s Resolutions. I’m going to try to work harder and smile more, but always finding the positive in every situation has proved harder.
No sooner had I finished writing the above Tuesday than I encountered a situation I am unable to find the positive in. We subscribe to several newspapers from around the region, and as I opened the weekly papers from Hallettsville, Yoakum and Shiner they all contained a huge ad (taking up about a third of a page) paid for by a Lavaca County resident.
Under the Headline “America Will Not Come Back” it began:
“The American Dream ended on Nov. 6, 2012. The Second term of Barack Hussein Obama has been the final nail in the coffin for the legacy of the mostly Christian – Conservative – Independent males who discovered, explored, pioneered, settled and developed the greatest Republic in the history of mankind. A coalition of blacks, Latinos, feminists, gays, government workers, union members, environmental extremists, the media, academia, Hollywood, Big Tech, uninformed young people, big city Suburbia College degreed white women, Limousine Liberals, the forever needy, the chronically unemployed illegal aliens, other fellow travelers, and now institutional - unchallenged voter fraud has ended Norman Rockwell’s America.”
The ad goes on for hundreds of words (including encouraging “individual acts of defiance and massive displays of civil disobedience ... to restore our beloved country to its former status.”)
The reference to “Norman Rockwell’s America” was particularly curious to me. I happen to be a big fan of Norman Rockwell’s paintings, which had a knack for capturing images that personified America. He painted some of the most iconic images of the Civil Rights-era of the 1960s.
One of my favorite paintings by Rockwell, however, is from the April 1, 1961 Saturday Evening Post called “The Golden Rule.” It shows more than 20 people of all races, ages and creeds. In small block lettering in the middle it says “Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You.”
That’s Norman Rockwell’s America.