Suspicious Old Man
"Mum, you can drop me off at the corner," Audrey suggested as they made their way to school. Gina looked at her daughter with raised eyebrows, "why should I do that, Audrey?" Audrey's reply sent a shiver down her spine.
"There's an old man who stands outside the school and is nice to kids. I want to go see him before the bell rings." Immediately after hearing this, sirens started going off in Gina's head—she knew something was terribly wrong!
Dropping Audrey To School
In her story, Gina Michelle shared that she took her daughter, Audrey, to school early in 2018. Since they were early, she dropped Audrey on the parent drop-off rather than at the corner to where she usually dropped her off.
As they pulled into the school, Audrey told her that she had forgotten to ask her to drop her off in the corner. Audrey says that she likes it when her mother drops her off in the corner.
Who Could The Old Man Be?
She could barely believe what she heard. Who could the old man be? Why were the middle schoolers hanging around the old man? Gina Michelle dropped her daughter off the corner and drove away, thinking it was something harmless.
The sun was up, and several parents were dropping off their kids in the morning. She waved goodbye and wished Audrey a good day at school.
Old Man On The Corner
Hearing this, Gina Michelle became curious about why her daughter likes to be dropped off in the corner. Audrey said a cute, little old man in the corner that she always likes to talk to. But today, she would have had more time talking to the old man if only her mother dropped her off in the corner.
Gina Michelle can sense the disappointment in the tone of her daughter’s voice as she continues to insist on how she likes to be dropped off in the corner.
Started To Investigate
Audrey requesting to be dropped off early every day was getting to Gina. She was starting to get concerned by this old man hanging outside of a middle school. That night Gina decided to investigate deeper the next morning.
After a sleepless night, Gina was getting ready for her day. She was going to drop of Audrey and park a couple of blocks away to see what the old man was up to. She couldn't believe what she saw next!
Swarming Kids
Gina parked her car a few meters away from the corner, blocked by the shade of a large tree. While sitting in her car, she saw Audrey run to the old man while other students began to gather around him.
She couldn't see or hear much because she was too far away but the students seem to just talk to the old man, exchanging handshakes and high fives. It seemed like a friendly encounter but Gina couldn't brush away the weird feeling.
The Work Day
The bell rang and the students darted straight into school and thinking that she wouldn't see anything of note, she drove away heading to her office. Gina entered her office and greeted her assistant.
She went straight to the breakroom to grab a cup of coffee to start up her energy for a long day at work. The day went typically but all she could think of today was that old man by her daughter's school. She couldn't shake the feeling away.
Talking To Other Parents
The following day, Gina couldn't help herself but do something about that old man. Decided to do something about it, she called a parent of a classmate of Audrey. It started to ring for a few moments and the parent finally picked up.
Gina greeted her by saying, "Hi, how are you? This is Audrey's mom, and I just wanted to ask something regarding Audrey's school". The mom responded and nicely and agreed to answer anything she could answer.
The Response
Gina began asking about the old man by the corner of their school who the students flock to early in the morning. She shared that Audrey even asked to be dropped earlier than usual so she could talk to that particular man.
Gina's mom's instincts kicked in and decided to call someone to ask another parent. The other parent listened intently and Gina was surprised to hear her answer. The other parent said, "Just ask Audrey, I believe she would know the best answer for your questions".
Surprising Answer
Gina Michelle then asks her daughter who the little old man is. Audrey answered that the old man at the steps to where she is usually dropped off. The old man encourages students through well-worn proverbs and witty remarks to which the students enjoy most of the time.
He also speaks about kindness, gives advice, and does fist bumps to/with the students. “It’s the best part of the day!” Audrey exclaimed. Astonished by the stories of her daughter, Gina Michelle has seen the valuable moment of kindness by the old man as she drove by and saw him with a group of students in the steps that Audrey told her. What Audrey says is factual.
Facebook Post
The old man stands outside the school every day and gives positive advice to the students near him. Gina Michelle then realized that this was the kind of love and support the students needed. In a Facebook post by Gina Michelle, she shared her tender feelings about a grip of encouragement.
Being an advocate of motivation, warmed her heart as she was able to witness it first-hand by herself. The incentive that she observed also reflected the act of kindness and discernment of enthusiasm and motivation. In her post, she gladly shared this heartening story about the benevolence of an old man to the public.
Wally Richardson
The cute, little old-man, was Wally Richardson, who is 95 years of age. He is a retired airline pilot and has served the Navy for ten long years. He had been of service to the Navy’s Honolulu command center for nearly a year before becoming a Navy pilot.
He has also served as a military flight instructor and flew on bombing runs during the Korean War. After doing the military, he became a pilot for 30 more years for United Airlines.
Life After Retirement
In 1983, Wally Richardson finally came to retirement after years of serving the navy, the military, and United Airlines. He then came to marry Jenny, to whom they had four children and five grandchildren.
Living off his life in El Dorado, his genuine positivity and wit have captured the hearts of many people, especially the students in middle school who have come in contact with him. With all the experiences that he gained while living the years of his life, he has acquired enough passion for becoming compassionate to other people.
Empathy To The Youth
For about two decades, Wally Richardson has been standing in front of middle schools early each morning with his dog, Dexter. He does it every day because he dramatically believes that the youth are the hope of the nations.
For Wally, it is a pleasure for him to impart to the child the things that will always remind them that they are loved, cared for, supported, and appreciated. He has high empathy for the capabilities of how the youth could change the world for the better.
Wallyisms
With Wally's positive spirit and quick wits, he has captured the hearts of many students. For the kids, they have termed Wally's sayings as "Wallyisms." Walliams made a significant impact on the students' lives, for it was composed of a kind, encouraging, and compassionate message that became part of the students' daily lives.
With Wallyisms, many students became inspired, motivated, and determined to overcome each day with enthusiasm and perseverance. Every day, Wally would always greet the students happily each morning. The students would flock to him to hear his daily Wallyisms of wisdom and wit. Having conversations with the students is Wally’s way of starting his day.
Fistbumps
Every morning, Wally Richardson would always have a 30-minute chat with the middle schoolers before they got into their morning classes. Engaging with the younger people, Wally has unintentionally made a signature greeting to them through fistbumps. Wally enjoyed the company of the students. In return, the students became attached to the old man and would always look forward to Wally’s positive advice every morning.
Meanwhile, for the students, Wally’s simple words of encouragement and advice start their day. Wally and the students have considered their morning greetings to be the best part of their day. Connecting with younger people, Wally Richardson has shared kindness and encouragement with the students.
Kindness Is A Virtue
This benefits Wally, himself, and the students because he got to share his wisdom with the students, and the students are learning great things from him. For Wally, kindness is a virtue, and it does not cost you anything if you want to be kind. Through Wally’s kindness in seeing the goodness in every student that he talks to every day, he has been able to open up a safe space of growth and development in the mindset and character of the students.
Additionally, Wally Richardson’s reason for giving the students a glimpse of his wallyisms every morning is that he wanted to build a rippling effect of positivity on the students. He wanted the students to live and value love and kindness in any place they could possess these critical values in life.
It's All Worth It
These positive expressions are the kind of positivity that he wanted to pass on to the students. Wally gives high regard to the students’ competence to spread love and kindness. Wally Richardson knew the struggles that a middle schooler experiences because he has been in their situation before. With this, he wanted to bring hope to the student's eyes as they face their challenges in school and life.
When the students started to memorize his Wallyisms, he realized that the students were taking his words of wisdom into the heart. At that moment, he knew that all the things that he shared with the students were all worth his time and efforts.
Radiating Kindness
Going back to Gina Michelle’s Facebook post, she has ended it with how lucky she was to catch one of Wally Richardson’s infamous fistbumps. She was grateful that the kind of act Wally Richardson has shown exists up to the present. She expressed a great interest in striving to be like the old man. She hopes that we all should think and act the same way like how Wally Richardson does.
Plainly sharing her experiences about how her day officially went, Gina Michelle didn’t expect that her post would go viral. She has received many similar sentiments as to hers. She has also received love reactions and support from Wally Richardson. She could not believe that many people would appreciate and affirm such acts of kindness. She just wanted to share what had made her day, but she ended up making the day of others through the inspiring story that she had shared.
Compassionate Comments
The act of Wally Richardson has warmed many hearts. Formerly, Gina Michelle had no idea who the old man was, not until the comments from her Facebook post told her so. Gina Michelle learned that Wally Richardson is a man of goodness.
There were many compassionate comments about Wally from people who have witnessed his kindness and how his service helped transform the hearts of many.
Parent’s Testimonies
Most of the commentators of Gina Michelle’s viral Facebook posts were the parents of the students that Wally Richardson has engaged with. The parents of these students have also witnessed how Wally valued and influenced kindness to the youth.
Therefore, Wally Richardson has not only made a positive impact on the lives of the students but also their parents. Wally Richardson is indeed a great model of gentle kindness and love.
Student's Testimonies
Wallyisms have played a big part in the lives of the students that Wally Richardson has talked to. It has become their shed of light despite the difficulties that they are facing in middle school.
It must be comforting to know that someone there believes that you can do your best in everything. Wally Richardson serves as their symbol of hope, love, and support for the students, which is precisely what they need.
Wally's Contribution To The Society
Wally Richardson contributed kindness and love to the community, knowing that it lacked in them. He has reflected on the importance of compassion and love through his actions. Maybe for him, his effort was just small and simple.
But for everyone, it was something gigantic, and his action deserves to be appreciated and recognized because it is considered rare these days.
Middle School Advices
Middle school is the time when students might be experiencing a lot of stressors in school and life. This is when students get to become horrified about the stresses that they are getting grips with. "What you do is what you are," Wally Richardson said.
"The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday," he added. Perhaps, middle school is only a phase that students can survive with.
Student’s Lasting Gift
To recognize Wally Richardson’s complex works of motivating and inspiring the middle schoolers, some students have set up a lasting gift for their life coach. He meant a lot to the students, so they wanted to give him something that would amaze him, just like how the students were surprised by his wits and wisdom.
This gift is a mural painting that is filled up with some of his inspirational sayings. The mural wall aims to brighten the students’ day as they pass on to the wall.
Wally's Wall
Wally's Wall is a mural that pays tribute to Wally Richardson. It was headed by one of the students that he has inspired to become better. This student has learned from Wally that running away from problems is a race you'll never win.
Furthermore, she has also known that there are 25 other letters in the alphabet if Plan A doesn't work. Indeed, Wallyisms continue to live and mark in the hearts of the students that Wally met.
Wally As An Angel
One parent disclosed that Wally Richardson helped her daughter overcome her weaknesses. Her daughter was highly bullied and left school to which she has attended for a week only. Fortunately, her daughter met Wally, and he gave her encouragement.
He became her angel during the times that her daughter was broken into pieces. From then on, her daughter has always looked for Wally and hugged him in return for his goodness and kindness to her.
Epitome Of Selfless Grace
Parents called Wally Richardson to be the epitome of selfless grace. He was a blessing not only to the students but to the whole community as well.
With his attributes as a person who values kindness and love more than anything and who values the abilities of the youth, he is the kind of person that we aimed to be and will continue to aim to be. He has possessed the character of serving people with pure affection and tender love.
An Awesome Soul
Having a remarkable soul, others would call it, Wally’s actions have reflected how beautiful his soul is. His actions have clearly shown that your age will not hinder you from being a good samaritan to the people around you.
It is astonishing to know that even if he is already old, he took time to pass on to the younger people the worthiness of being good to other people. His actions have also glittered out the principles of humaneness and hospitality.
Mr. Knuckles
Students, especially kids, will never forget Wally Richardson to be Mr. Knuckles. They always get a remembrance of his sayings and his fistbumps. His famous “knuckles” will constantly recall to the students' minds, specifically the kids, because kids are more likely to become interested in someone who gives them positive energy and giggles.
Nevertheless, Wally will always have the hearts of every middle schooler that he crossed ways to. Wally Richardson is absolutely a man of passion and empathy. He doesn’t care even if he spends minutes sharing his wit and knowledge with the young people. He believes in the youth.
Love And Kindness
He believes that the youth can have a positive practice of spreading love and kindness to everyone. And this is something that is just so pure to which no one can take it away nor ignore it. Believing in younger people certainly brings out the trust and compassion they needed us to bestow to them. Honestly, the story of Wally Richardson is explicitly eloquent. It brings awakening in our hearts, and it has reminded us that even if the world chooses to do evil to us, we need to always stick to the love and kindness in our hearts.
This will make us become apart from those that do not dwell in these values. Subsequently, the purity of our actions will always represent how we see the world and how we would like the world to respond to our efforts. Thus, let us continue to become an advocate of love and kindness to everyone and everywhere.