From the driver’s seat to the rocker

Pam Dudding-Burch
Contributing writer

It has been said that, “A school bus driver is sometimes the first smiling adult face a child sees each morning and the last one they see before going home. Bus drivers seem to always brave the weather to get the kids safely where they need to be while being a positive example that they can look up to.”

Craig County schools will soon be losing two fantastic bus drivers in Dallas Fisher and Carl Bailey.

Denny Williams, Director of Transportation and Maintenance at Craig County Public Schools, said, “They were always ready to help when called upon.”

Dallas Fisher drove for 25-years with the school on the routes including Cuba and parts of Craig City. “He has driven all those years without an accident,” Williams said. “He has also helped in the summer, driving students to summer school and helping with bus inspections.”

Fisher was not just a bus driver; he was also very active in the community. Over the years, he coached youth baseball and took numerous students on ball trips and field trips.

Carl Bailey has been a driver for the last 15 years. His routes have included to the Craig County Daycare and parts of Craig City. “He has also driven all those years without an accident,” Williams said. “He has helped the daycare with their field trips during the summer months on numerous occasions.”

Williams added that Bailey has done double bus runs and even switched routes with drivers when needed. “He is always willing to help out,” he added.

Bailey shared that he genuinely enjoyed his job and the kids. “But, I wanted to do some traveling, and my wife had a lot of little jobs she wanted to do,” he added with a little giggle. “And, you know what they say, ‘if the wife is not happy then nobody is happy.’”

Each was given a new rocking chair to relax on and a miniature bus as a remembrance. “They will be greatly missed,” Williams emphatically said.