New Ride

The following photo appeared in the July 16, 1986 issue of the Panhandle Press. 

I’m pretty certain that July 14, 1986 was one of the happiest days of my Dad’s life when he received a brand new moped as a gift from the Raymond Fire Department upon his retirement after many years of service to the department. Right after the photo above was taken, he took his first ride on the scooter, buzzing straight home to show mom and me, before heading back uptown to the old firehouse where the retirement party continued. Although he had officially retired from the fire department, from that day on, he continued to serve by manning the radios at the firehouse during calls. When the fire siren rang, you could almost always count on seeing Charlie Bandy on his bright red scooter hightailing it uptown to help.

Dad with one of my nieces, Lara Lebeck, in 1987

He added a small white utility basket on to the front of the scooter, big enough to carry a loaf of bread and other items he might pick up on a quick trip to Mizera’s Market or while running errands at the bank, the post office, or the drug store. You would also see him tooling around town on his scooter while checking on elderly friends and neighbors. 

Dad made room in the garage for a parking spot for his beloved scooter, and he was meticulous about maintaining it. Even after many years passed, it was still in wonderful condition and was practically like brand new. He rode it almost year round, weather permitting, for the rest of his life. When he died, someone drove it inside the Raymond Methodist Church for the visitation and funeral. It was comforting to see the shiny fire engine red scooter there among the dozens of flower arrangements and photo tributes, parked right next to his giant fire boots and the white chief’s helmet that he had worn for 25 years.

It’s interesting to note that on another Monday, July 14th, this one 22 years to the day that Dad received the surprise scooter, I received unexpected news that my mom had died.  I guess July 14^th goes down as one of the happiest days and saddest days in my family history.