South Dakota man retires after 50 years driving school buses

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HARRISBURG (AP) – When a fire ripped through George's Service station in 1972, longtime Harrisburg resident George VanDenHul rushed into the flames to grab what may have been the most important thing to him at the time.

A set of keys to a school bus resting too close to the fire for comfort.

Five years prior, VanDenHul had started the Harrisburg School District's first busing system in a town with one school and about 300 people, and he wanted to protect his $3,400 investment in that effort.

He didn't know at the time that driving children to and from school in that bus every day would become a 50-year career.

And because of the fire, it almost hadn't, he said.

"I don't know if the bus would've got destroyed or not," VanDenHul said. "Either way, I somehow would've pulled it out I think."

But by then, he had already fallen in love with serving children who needed help getting to and from school every day, he said.

The 80-year-old retired from school bus driving recently following some recent health concerns. City officials declared Feb. 28 George VanDenHul Day as friends and family as far away as Kansas held a reception for him and former students waved goodbye to him on a bus ride home, the Argus Leader reported.

"It was very clear when his bus of students stopped at his social event that they missed him. He knew them all by name," district communications director JoAnne VerMulm said. "I had students come up to me and tell me George was their mom or dad's bus driver when they were in school. They wanted to know when he was coming back."

But VanDenHul is modest when it comes to his life and contributions to Harrisburg in the last half-century. He often keeps his sentences short, not saying more than necessary.

Beyond starting the district's first bus system, VanDenHul was also a mechanic and bar owner.

He owned a race car and chased hot air balloons. He ran the town's hardware store, coached local baseball teams, delivered fuel to the co-op in Canton and served as the city's volunteer fire chief for a bit, he and his supporters said.

VanDenHul even helped organize the first Harrisburg Days in the late '60s, when the town didn't have the fastest-growing school district in the state, he said. That's when the fire department sponsored tractor pulls, street dances and barbecues. And he helped raise money for the town's original baseball diamond.

But his connection with the children is what kept him coming back year after year, he said.

And that time has allowed him to see his beloved Harrisburg School District expand to what it is today with more than 4,700 students.

"It was a job," he said. "And I got attached to the kids. That was a big deal. I just enjoyed it."

After the fire, he rebuilt the station. The bus he started with, he drove to North Carolina to pick up, he said. He owned the chassis, while the district owned the bus, he said. Today, that bus could cost at least $100,000, VanDenHul said in a press release from the school district.

He's driven at least three generations of Harrisburg students to and from school each day, he said. And he's seen the district grow from five bus routes to today's 23.

"I don't know anybody no more," he said. "I used to know everybody."

His days started early, and the last few years he had a route of about 40 minutes, eight stops and 70 students. Ask him what his favorite moment has been, and he'll only tell you, "There's so many, I could write a book on them."

And though he wouldn't go into too much detail about any antics his students did while he drove, he did admit he had to pull the bus over a couple times to settle the rowdy ones. One instance even included a student who tried to jump out of a window, he said.

"Most of the time I'd just greet them good morning. Some of them wouldn't say nothing, and some of them would say good morning back to you," VanDenHul said. "I had one little girl come on. She was a second-grader. She said, 'You saw my grandpa on the bus.' It made me feel old."

And VanDenHul's greetings meant as much to his students as they did to him.

Fifth-grader Carter Stein has known the bus driver for about the last four years, Stein said.

"We haven't had him drive our bus since about last year, but I was always happy to see him," Stein said.

VanDenHul would give his students candy canes or a little treat every Christmas, which was heartwarming, Stein said. Stein, thankful for VanDenHul's polite demeanor, said his bus driver taught him to always be kind even on the rough days.

"I'm going to miss his smile," Stein said. "I would always ask him does he like his job. He was like, 'Yes.' Then I asked him what his favorite part about his job was, and he was just like, 'Just seeing all the kids," with a big smile."

When VanDenHul had to undergo a six-hour pancreatic surgery more than a year ago, he had to take a leave of absence, he said. The district was gracious enough to leave his job open for his return, but ultimately VanDenHul decided it was best not to, he said.

"I decided I better not. I didn't trust myself," he said. "It was tough, but I've got some other problems, too."

As VanDenHul looks back on the last 50 years, he said he's grateful for the friends he has made and hopes he's had a positive impact.

"I don't know," VanDenHul said. "I'm just glad they got to school safe and home safe."

He wants to remain involved in the community as he enters retirement, but how VanDenHul spends his days will depend on his health, he said. With a bit of a green thumb, he is also looking forward to working in his garden, his daughter Julie Ruud said in a press release from the school district.

Right now, though, he'll just focus on one thing at a time.

"At about 1 p.m., I'll take my nap," he said.