Posted by Arthur (in NY) on Thursday, December 01, 2005 at 10:31PM :
My Uncle-by-marriage Billy, aka William "Scratchy" Johnston, Jr, age 81, is back at work on his Caterpillar bulldozer, digging basements and building roads, after being sidelined for two years with medical problems.
He went in to the hospital for "minor" back surgery over two years ago, and caught a nasty septic condition (staph infection) in the hospital.
After being near death for over a year, he rallied, gained his weight back, (he was down to under 100 pounds at one point) and went back to work full time this week, with his son, William "Punch" Johnston, 3rd.
He said "I'm going back on that tractor if it kills me." His wife says that the thought of going back to work was the only thing that kept him alive.
He was born in this town, and has worked in heavy construction for over 60 years. He has been severely injured several times, from a fall from a roof at a house fire, to chainsaw attacks, but he always bounces back. He can remember almost every job he's done, and is the go-to guy when local people need to know when something was built, or where something is buried. He maintains all his equipment himself, and is very self-sufficient. This is the kind of guy that we all know and love, and like to use as an example of what's right with the older generation. His story would fit right in with Gordon's tailgate view of humanity, machinery, work ethic, and so forth.
Anyway, I thought you folks would like to hear a happy ending, what with all the sadness in the world.
Mandatory PW content: When I showed him my '54 PW a few years ago, before he got sick, he asked "Can I sit in her?" I said, "Sure, and you can take her for a ride, if you want. Are you sure that you still know how to drive one of these?" I was teasing him, of course. You should have seen the sparkle in his eye.
He got in, and knew right where the floor starter was, and up-shifted and down-shifted with the crashbox without a glitch. There was something about the way he used his fingertips on the gearshift handle so effortlessly that can only be described as "caressing" it. He seemed "as one with the machine." It's hard to describe, but if you've ever seen a real good piano player, or a professional card dealer, that's what it looked like.
He's a smooth operator.
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