Based in Sydney, Australia, Foundry is a blog by Rebecca Thao. Her posts explore modern architecture through photos and quotes by influential architects, engineers, and artists.

Waving goodbye to Mr. Jim

Waving goodbye to Mr. Jim

To the Editor,

In my life, I’ve learned that there are infinitely special people on this planet and that not one of them is replaceable. I was inspired to pay tribute to our child’s bus driver, “Mr. Jim,” after receiving news from him in the form of a handwritten letter that he will be retiring early. Jim laments leaving the children who ride his bus; he cherishes them as if they were his own grandchildren. As I strolled along afterwards on that balmy winter evening, feeling saddened, I was struck by a sudden reflective appreciation for this significant soul in our lives.

When our family moved here from out of state in 2017, we chose Swarthmore not just because our realtor described it as “crunchy,” though that helped, but because, from what we observed in our four-day emergency house hunting trip (the second of these sorts of timed relocations my husband and I have survived), this town had and valued — and has because it values — a sense of community, which for a (formerly) transient family like ours mattered immensely. And what makes a community are its members: a person like Jim who stretches his heart to include our children and us as families. Who makes sure a child never leaves behind a precious cardboard creation on his bus. Who hands out Halloween and winter holiday gifts to our children. Who waves and says goodbye to each child with warmth in his voice and kindness in his eyes.

This impeccable person will be greatly missed by our family and undoubtedly many more, and we feel blessed to have had Jim in our lives this school year. It is this sort of person, sharing his care for other people, big and small, who helps make groups of houses connected by sidewalks that lead to common spaces a community.

We will miss you, Mr. Jim, and we thank you for going above and beyond every single day.

Alexis Young
Swarthmore

Transitory light, lasting impact

Transitory light, lasting impact

Small symptoms of climate change

Small symptoms of climate change