Puff the Magic Dragon By John Burch In the mid 1960’s, Warren High School purchased a used surplus military bus. It’s primary purpose was to transport our athletes to away games and our stellar band to competitions around the state. The bus was built like a Sherman tank but what gave the bus it’s WOW Power was the custom orange and black with Lumberjack paint job. The inside had very heavy duty upper racks. This was a coveted location to crawl up there and sleep on the way home late at night. It was only for those that could fit up there and be amongst the sweaty shoulder pads and helmets. But with all it’s brawn and beauty, the bus had many mechanical issues that would rear it’s ugly head often and at the wrong time. Case in point…..On a Friday night football away game, we load up with all players, coaches and gear. We’re all full of testosterone, bravado, and high fives. When we get to the visitor’s locker room, there is that moment when we lock eyes with the enemy watching us from around the home team locker room. It’s that primitive male ritual of sizing up the enemy of which you are about to battle. Pulling up in the beautiful custom orange and black beast made a statement….The Lumberjacks have arrived…..and then it happened…..When the coach turned off the key it backfired…BANG !!! The opposing team’s members rolled with laughter. “YEE HAH, the Beverly Hillbillies have arrived” one guy yelled. It was a humbling experience and from that moment on, we held our collective breaths every time we stopped and turned off the ignition. It was for this reason the bus earned the nickname Puff the Magic Dragon. My most memorable event riding in Puff happened on a cool October Thursday night in 1968. The Junior High football team was coming home from a game on the Monticello highway. Coach Cecil Toon was driving the bus with Coach Larry Strickland sitting directly behind him. We had just passed Possum Valley and were headed for the river bridge. It’s a two lane black top with very deep ditches of water, creatures, and critters next to the river on both sides. Coming right toward us half way in our lane was set of bright headlights. Coach Toon headed over to the very edge of the black top beside the deep ditch. BANG !!! The loud sound of breaking glass shattered the quiet night. It came so close it obliterated the huge side mirror. Glass cut Coach Strickland’s arm but no one else was hurt. The truck with headlights was a drunk driver that almost changed the lives of many of us forever. Ricky Roper’s Dad was following behind us when it happened. He was a State Trooper off duty that night but gave info about the drunk driver to a nearby Trooper on duty and he caught the drunk driver. It’s hard to believe but 50 years later Puff still exists but is in a scrap yard. She is getting rusty and has layers of blood, mud, sweat, tears and testosterone baked on the inside. At one time she was the pride and sometimes the embarrassment of Lumberjack Nation. It’s the stories about her that will live on forever though.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 17:55:03 +0000
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