‘God-given job’

District driver helps many departments

Larry Atkinson stands in front of a row of school buses at the depot where he goes each day to drive a bus for the Searcy School District. Atkinson has been with the district for 17 years and serves in multiple rolls for the district including school-bus driver, cafeteria worker and mailman.
Larry Atkinson stands in front of a row of school buses at the depot where he goes each day to drive a bus for the Searcy School District. Atkinson has been with the district for 17 years and serves in multiple rolls for the district including school-bus driver, cafeteria worker and mailman.

In the Searcy School District, Larry Atkinson wears many hats.

From about 6:50-8 a.m., he’s a school-bus driver. From 8 a.m. to noon, he delivers mail and food to the district’s schools, and around 2:15 p.m., he’s back on his bus route.

Atkinson has been with the district for 17 years, and he moved from Little Rock to Searcy 30 years ago. During Atkinson’s retirement from factory work in Little Rock, he thought about driving tour buses to locations out of state. He figured school-bus driving would be good practice, he said.

“They train you here [at the district], and I got my training and started driving with them, and I thought, ‘Well, after a couple of years, maybe I can get to try [tour-bus driving].’ Well, that didn’t work out. So I’ve been with [the school district] ever since. Personally, I feel like it’s a God-given job.”

He also said he enjoys seeing students on his bus route grow up.

“I had two students this year who graduated that have been with me on my route ever since they were in kindergarten,” he said. “It’s wonderful that you can be a part of a kid’s life. I’ve met kids later who graduated and went to college and married, and I run across them, and you hear some good comments. It’s like family here. This is a family district. That’s what it feels like.”

As a bus driver, he also transports students to after-school events. He drives the bus for activities and sports, such as football, basketball, choir and quiz bowl.

Atkinson began delivering district mail and groceries to schools three years after he became a bus driver. After his bus route, he takes mail from the district’s general office and delivers it to schools, while also delivering groceries to the cafeterias. Each day, he loads the delivery truck with food from a warehouse.

“As I tell a lot of the younger guys, this is kind of like work, but I call it my physical therapy at this point in life,” he said of loading the truck. “I’m 72 years old, and it gives me a workout.”

Through all of his roles with the district, Atkinson has grown familiar with many different faces, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers and coaches.

“I work with all the ladies in the kitchens who prepare the school meals,” he said. “They’re a great group to work with. You get to meet a lot of different people, a lot of the teachers and a lot of the personnel at the schools, principals — I work with them and get acquainted with them.”

Charlotte Davis, child nutrition director for the district, said Atkinson is a blessing to her department.

“He gets along with everyone and has a smile on his face every day,” she said. “He’s just a very encouraging person to be around, and I don’t know what we’d do without him.”

Davis said Atkinson has been a positive role model for students and staff members.

“He’s grounded in his Christian faith, and he believes in living that out, and you can just see it in everything that he does,” she said. “He just wants to be a positive influence on everyone he’s around.”

Eva Boyles, child nutrition manager at Southwest Middle School, said Atkinson cannot be replaced.

“He’s so caring. He’s just a giving kind of person,” Boyles said. “He will tell you that his first priority is these kids, the students. He wants to make sure they get home and get to school safely each day, and he’s going to do his best during the day to help provide their meals and whatever else he needs to do.”

Two years ago, Atkinson received the Award of Excellence from the Arkansas Association of Pupil Transportation. Denise Twisdale, transportation director for the district, presented him with the award.

“He’s more than willing to mentor new drivers, and he always comes in with a smile on his face,” Twisdale said. “You’ll never see him in a bad mood. It’s just truly an honor to be around him at all times.”

Atkinson said his role is similar to public-relations work.

“I’m a people person, and I like that kind of relationship,” he said. “You have a good relationship with everybody, and you get to know them on a personal level. It kind of really makes me feel like I’m part of the community with that kind of relationship.”

Atkinson said he doesn’t have any plans for picking up tour-bus driving now and that what he does is more than just work; it’s about being around a family.

“It’s a wonderful place to work, great people, and I’m just thankful to be a part of it,” he said.

Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.

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