Harry Messimer went to work as a Greyhound bus driver back in 1956. When he retired from Greyhound 31 years later, he had driven more than 1.5 million miles. But four days of retirement was enough for Harry. He went back to work as a driver for Roanoke based, Abbott Trailways and drove for another 24 years. When he really retired, after fifty-five years behind the wheel, he had logged way more than two million miles. During Harry’s career he made numerous transcontinental trips, but most poignant was his stint as a Freedom Riders bus driver back in 1961 when he made runs to the protest marches in Washington D.C., and down to Alabama and Louisiana in the deep South. Throughout his career Harry collected Greyhound and Trailways memorabilia, and today his extensive collection is showcased in a large room within the Roanoke, Virginia Museum of Transportation. Harry’s collection is much more than just a room full of static displays, as you will likely find 83 year-old Harry Messimer manning his incredible museum, greeting and regaling visitors with tales of the heyday of Greyhound and Trailways. A time when women wore their finest and men donned their hats. Come along and join Harry Messimer at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke Virginia as he recalls they hey day of bus transportation in America.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE NPR.ORG PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH HARRY MESSIMER
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