Shine On!

By Jackie Swiesz

Whenever it’s a school day, you will find this fellow on the busy corner of Parkhill and 17th Street West, waving at passing cars full of parents and kids who exuberantly wave back at him. “I do that to make people aware that there’s a school crossing here – the motion gets their attention.” People can’t help but wave back, especially because of his contagious grin and his thumbs up when they see him. “Some of the kids are so little they can’t see over the window – I just see the hand!”

Bill Bishop is somewhat of a celebrity and people go out of their way to drive past his crossing station just to get a glimpse of his shiny smile. “Seeing him just makes my day better,” said one young woman, who pulled up beside us as Bill and I were chatting. “Have a Happy Holiday!” Bill shouts out to her. She replies, “and you as well!”

Rain or shine, he’s always on this corner, making sure the children get to school safely. He takes it very seriously, waving to get eye contact with drivers and holding up the big red “lollipop” stop sign as the kids cross the street.

Bill worries about the boys and girls. Not only does he teach them how to properly cross the road, but he’s also genuinely concerned about their well-being. One rainy day a small girl had no coat on and was soaking wet. He made sure she got to the school where they called the parents who brought dry clothes and a jacket for her.

That inner glow is evident when you see Bill, even on a cloudy day!

About four years ago, Bill was taking his morning walk near Rose Park Elementary School when he met Chuck, another crossing guard who’s 85 years young and still going strong. Between Chuck’s encouragement and another young woman at the crossing, Bill told me he was “finagled into becoming a crossing guard, too!”

First and foremost, he loves the kids. “There’s no better feeling than when they run up to me all at once, tackling me and giving me bear hugs,” said Bill. He adds with a twinkle in his eye, “but, I sure hope that, at age 78, I don’t lose my balance when they come at me!”

He's also seen several accidents at the intersection over the years, a lot of times due to drivers texting, and once a near miss happened when he started to step off the curb to escort a little girl across the intersection. “So, I always make sure all the cars are stopped and that they are aware that I’m crossing the street with the kids.”

People really appreciate his dedication to the children’s safety, and he’s been given gift cards for coffee and oth- er kind gestures. “One man even gave me elk steaks,” exclaimed Bill. That was a surprise and a welcome gift for Bill, a lifelong hunter. “And, the other day,” Bill told me, “When I escorted two boys through the intersection, they were jibber jabbering about some video game. When they got across, they stopped and yelled for me to come back over.”

“We forgot to give you this,” they chimed in together, handing him a yummy piece of pumpkin bread with creamy filling.

Being a crossing guard isn’t Bill’s only activity in his retirement world. “I have to stay busy,” he told me.

As an old Marine, he participates in the Marine Corp League, volunteering for the annual Toys for Tots drive, and he is one of the members of the military gun salute at the local cemeteries. Not only this, but he also has a pastime of playing video games. He likes games that have a story line and complex worlds. “My son introduced me to them,” he said. “My favorite is Assassin’s Creed/Valhalla, and I’ve been working on that one for a year!” Seems he has a knack for connecting with people of all ages, from parents to their video game-obsessed children.

Whenever we cross paths with those that radiate that innocent spark of life, we become a bit more buoyant, too, and our day simply shines on!