When Chaplain
Bonnie Bohn, in Cincinnati, Ohio, asked Herbert Burns what he wanted for his 100th
birthday, his answer was surprisingly daring for a 99-year-old. He wanted to ride
an Indian motorcycle. Something he had dreamed of doing as a young boy, but couldn’t
because it would scare the animals on his family’s farm. Well, life went on, and
for one reason or another, Herbert never got his Indian motorcycle.
It was time for the Crossroads team of Bonnie, Kristy Demery and Martha Epling to
get busy locating this difficult-to-find brand of motorcycle…which turned out to be somewhat miraculous. You see, Indian had gone out of business, but Kerry Ford,
a nearby car dealership, had two of Herbert’s dream bikes on their lot. The dealership
agreed to help Crossroads fulfill Herbert’s
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wishes with a
whopping $30,000 fully chromed and accessorized Indian motorcycle. Not only that,
they had a special leather jacket made for him with the Indian insignia on the back.
Talk about cool!
Then, on the day of Herbert’s 100th birthday celebration, it all came together. Representatives from the dealership, his wife of 70 years, students from his 60-year
teaching career, and the Crossroads staff had the pleasure of watching Herbert’s
face as they rolled the bike toward him. Bonnie and Kristy helped Mr. Burns onto
the bike…and then he began to ride, and ride, and ride. Herbert had the time of
his life, and an 8” x 10” photo to proudly display on his bureau. That way, Herbert
could relive those moments over and over again. |