Mrs. Lamar Changed My Life

Rob Taub   |  

Nov 26, 2023

When we are young, we don’t realize how simple events and seemingly ordinary people will powerfully impact our lives, yet that changes significantly with the passage of time. 

Looking back on my life, one person who had a profound effect on my youth was my school bus driver, Mrs. Lamar, yet I don’t even know her first name. 

I first met Mrs. Lamar more than fifty years ago when I was in the 7^th grade and just twelve years old. She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall, with fiery red hair and the most pleasant disposition of anyone I’ve ever known.  She reminded me of a character from a movie in the 1930’s or 40’s, who would have been Mickey Rooney or Judy Garland’s sidekick.

Mrs. Lamar had a large family, and I recall that two of her sons – Bobby and Gary – were standout athletes at our high school.  She never raised her voice yet commanded the respect of 50 unruly teenagers by exuding a quiet self-confidence that I still marvel at to this day. 

Most of the bus ride involved her singing to us.  They were the same songs every day, yet like a Three Stooges gag or a Mel Brooks joke, we never tired of them.

To wit:

A peanut sat on a railroad track,

His heart was all a-flutter,

The twelve-fifteen came rolling by,

Toot-toot – peanut butter!

Mrs. Lamar also told jokes, and this one was my favorite:

Why did the little shoe run away from home?

His mother was a sneaker, and his father was a loafer.

Finally, Mrs. Lamar taught me to stand up to bullies.  There was a boy named Henry. He was a year older, wore pointy shoes and a black leather jacket. He picked on me relentlessly. 

One day, Henry tripped me as I was walking down the aisle of the bus and as I got off, Mrs. Lamar said to me, “One day someone’s going to push that kid down the bus stairs.”

I did so on the following day, and it was my last encounter with Henry. 

The next day, as I got on the bus, Mrs. Lamar gave me a wink. 

Mrs. Lamar conveyed feelings of joy and happiness that were so palpable, I actually looked forward to attending school each day.  I hope everyone encounters a Mrs. Lamar sometime in their life.