LOVE THY NEIGHBOR: Utica resident provides help to his neighbors even in his own time of need
By
ztnoo, in non tractor related discussion
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By ztnoo
I've been looking for a replacement small General Motors pickup from roughly 25 years ago in reasonable shape for 4-5 months.
After reviewing untold numbers of CL listings during the period, I ran across what looked to be a reasonable mileage example in good aesthetic shape within a reasonable driving distance from my location.
It was listed on CL in Louisville. Not exactly the next county over (a three hour one way drive), but a good enough prospect, I decided to take a day road trip
3hr 2min, 187 miles, per Mapquest.
I was thinking.......OK Steve, you are wanting to drive to Louisville to look at a vehicle, so what if I couldn't find anyone (a local friend/neighbor) available on Saturday to go with me?
Three strikes and I was out. Bingo. Reality sets in.
My theory was, if it was something I really decided I wanted, I needed to get it out of Louisville THAT day. But with no drafted co-driver, I had a definite problem.
In a eureka moment, I remembered Chaplain Manny, who I had never met, but with whom I have conversed extensively, not only here at RS, but on various WH FB sites, and by email as well.
Manny was raised in Louisville, so I instinctively knew he would be an excellent guide and pathfinder in a metropolis I had no familiarity with, other than passing through on I-65 to go to Florida.
So, I messaged Manny on Friday with my situation and proposal and asked if he would be available to assist me for a few hours on Saturday. He now lives east of Jeffersonville (across the river from Louisville, in Indiana) in a very small rural town.
He replied and told me he was available to help me, given his wife and young son were away at a wedding he wasn't attending.
I explained the situation generally, and to my amazement and luck, Manny agreed to help me go into Louisville on my long bed S-15 quest.
I arrived a little after 9 am at Manny's residence (following a three hour drive) and Manny proceeded to guide me into the bowels of Louisville.
Traffic was horrific for some reason on Saturday morning on both southbound bridges over the Ohio River into downtown Louisville. Manny speculated there had to be some big event going on downtown that morning, but we never did learn what it might be. I would have definitely lost my cool sitting and waiting for traffic to start moving and the stress of trying to navigate the unfamiliar interior of a major urban jungle. But Manny took it all in stride and we eventually maneuvered around the bottlenecks and we got to the desired address in an area of town known as Germantown.
So the short of it is, I bought the truck because it was in excellent shape for a 1990 model with reasonable mileage given its age, and Manny drove the station wagon while I followed in the S15 and we went back north across across the bridge over the Ohio River leading the way back to his place east of Jeffersonville. Generally speaking, the theory "move your feet, lose your seat" applies to CL items, because they can move very quickly and you usually have to have your ducks lined up and be ready to act promptly, or there's a high risk of losing your chance. With Manny's help and assistance, I was able to achieve my goal.
Manny let me park the truck at his house until I can draft a friend into a day road trip to go retrieve my little S15 jewel later this week. When we got back to his place and he showed me his Wheel Horse collection and ongoing projects and we philosophized about life a bit before I left.
Manny is a great caring and helpful person with a warm and outgoing soul. He has considerable health issues for a male of 56 years of age, but he does his best not to allow that to distract his quality of life and daily routine. I now consider him to be a friend and buddy and not just a correspondent........having met through our mutual interest in Wheel Horses, GT 14s in particular.
Steve
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Manny & me.
Manny in front of my purchase.
My "new" S15.
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By ChaplainManny
How I became a lover of the Horses is a mixture of fluke, mishap, luck, and providence.
Not quite a year ago, my wife, our one year old son, and I bought a home and moved to a predominantly white small river town named Utica, in Indiana.
I was depressed because after the previous five years of school, medical problems, and eventually graduating with honors and a bachelor's degree, I could not find work. With no interviews, no answers to my sent resume and applications, I found myself wondering what I would do.
I am a minister, which means I did a lot of praying about what my next move was to be.
I was lead to go out and look for someone in a less fortunate situation than myself, and to then ask them how I might serve them.
I began mowing the lawns for our elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged NEIGHBORS, with a 12 hp Cub Cadet, the previous home owner had left.
I used that little riding mower to drag away fallen trees, logs left by the risen Ohio River, and anything else my NEIGHBORS needed removed.
One day an elderly NEIGHBOR who ran the local small engines repair shop exclaimed to me, "Manny, do you realize you're tearing up that riding mower dragging those trees and logs? What you need is a tractor!" I asked him if he had any in his garage, and informed he did not. BUT...Mr Snelling added, "you know, I think ole Jimmy Van Gilder has a tractor he's thinking of selling!"
I should pause here to say, Mr James "Jimmy" Van Gilber was something of a local hero. A veteran, retired fire fighter, and long time member of the town of Utica, Mr Van Gilder helped many of the town's disadvantaged in ways they could never repay him.
When I went to Mr Van Gilder to inquire as to the availability of his tractor, he was in the final stages of terminal cancer, so I did NOT want to trouble him. I asked Mr Van Gilder if had a tractor he wanted to sell, and explained what I needed a tractor for. He wanted only $250 for his 520H. I get $200 in SSI each month, but that was weeks away, so I turned to Facebook to raise the money. I offered myself labor for $10 per hour, to raise money for my community outreach project, which would later become the LOVE THY NEIGHBOR INITIATIVE.
Within an hour of posting mt plea, a friend who owned a business asked if he and his wife could come see the tractor. That Friday they came to check out the item in question. Within minutes, he pulled out his wallet and paid for the tractor! With my mouth wide open in disbelief, "Matt" exclaimed, "Manny" we think what you're doing is a good thing, and we want to support it by purchasing, and donating this tractor to your cause!"
I set about getting the tractor ready for operations, which lead me to look for service parts on the internet. That's when I found out some of the history of the wonder which is the heart and spirit of what was once, "America, the great".
The more I learned, the more intrigued I became!
That was July of last year. Today, I have nine Horses, and hope to travel to Minnesota this weekend to pick up number 10.
I love, and enjoy the sense of community, and next door neighbor quality which is the Wheel Horse family. From day one I was accepted. I am not a black man with a questionable past in the Wheel Horse community. I am Manny to some, RJ, to a few, and Chaplain Manny to the rest. My questions are answered in full with patience from skilled - knowledgeable WH gurus, to newbies like myself how've learned a few things.
I love saving Horses, and giving them a second chance to do what they love doing, working hard and making the shinie, new, poorly manufactured, tractors look bad.
I hope one day to be able to share the knowledge I've gained from the Wheel Horse community with the next generation of Wheel Horse lovers, namely my two year old son.
Thank you Wheel Horse community for making me a part!
Your servant,
Chaplain, R. J. "Manny" Higgins
Utica, Indiana Police Department
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