Saying Goodbye to a Friend...

Friday I said goodbye to one of my closest friends, a mentor, a father figure. As some who know a bit of my history in this industry may remember, a name often heard around me was Robert "Bobby" Ewing, some even had the honor of meeting this man. Bobby was one of the primary men who taught me to drive heavy trucks. Close on 53 years of wrenching, owning or driving trucks at the time of his passing, Bobby epitomized "old school trucking". Conceived in a truck, he spent his entire life involved in the industry. He taught me more about trucking than I can begin to speak about. But, beyond that he taught me in many ways how to be a man, how to be an adult, imperfect though my attempts may be. He showed me how to have an immense work ethic, how to go to work even when everything was against you. He taught me little tricks about wrenching on engines, and how to see the big picture in the long run in this industry. He did far more than simply teach me how to drive, and I'm a better person for it. From Iron Lungs and 4x4s to the latest equipment, Bobby saw this industry change in ways many of us can scarcely imagine today. He had a story behind every lesson he taught me, and he could teach you more in two hours of driving than weeks of school. I am proud and honored I can lay claim to having learned from Bobby, having learned from a veteran, a guru, an absolute master. I don't know how to begin to summarize, how to explain, how to elucidate on what a tremendous personality Bobby was and will always be in my life. I hope I can carry on the spirit of Bobby and men like him, men rarely seen today. Regardless of your views on the afterlife, I hope I can somehow be like the man who taught, gave, and cared about me so much. What a tremendous person to aspire to. I will miss you every day, Bobby, but I will never forget you. I say goodbye, but, you'll always be with me.

Pictures:

Flagship 444 Cummins powered T600 at his previous company Texas Intermountain Transportation.

Bobby as a young child sitting on the fender of a J.A. Sharoff Kenworth, a company his father Delbert truck-bossed for years.

And the last, simply Bobby.