Father figure
Harland was one of a small handful of men who took me "under his wing" during my high school years in the late 60's when I was growing up alone with my mother. He and Wendy took me to the farm in Warren on weekends where I helped convert the chicken barns from egg-laying set-up to broilers, then helped around the farm for a few years. Harland taught me many mechanical skills and gave me much-needed mentoring during that time. Harland and Wendy both helped give me car-driving experience to get my driver's license and Harland taught me motorcycle driving. They humored me by allowing me to ride my 80cc Yamaha beside them on their big Harley-Davidson! Indeed, my first activity after college graduation was a 2-month cross-country trip on my 650cc Yamaha. Somewhat disappointingly, Harland advised my mother not to allow my first car to be the 350-someting cu. in. V8 push-button automatic, electric-everything Chrysler I had my eye on, hoping to impress a certain (or any) girl. Instead, I ended up with a mild 1959 3-cylinder, 2-cycle 750cc SAAB, not quite the image I was looking for! No, I didn't get the girl, but I spent my college summers working for the local SAAB dealer and am still driving a (newer) SAAB today. I hadn't seen Harland for many years, but I have fond memories of those years together.
Posted by Bob Start
Saturday November 4, 2017 at 11:54 am