A piece of Harley lives in us all

Margaret Cho, a comedienne, once said that sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways, it can change someone else’s life forever.

These words ring truer than the loudest bell in the world and a perfect example could be found right here in our small area of the universe.

We lost a good man this week that embodied the meaning of the tiny quotation.
Harley Solesbee, the long time proprietor of a gas station on Rutherford Street in Landrum, passed away.

Throughout his many years on this earth, Harley was a gracious and caring man, who touched just about everyone he came in contact with.

For years, he operated one of the last full service gas stations in the Upstate. As recently as last year, you could pull up and Harley would come out to pump your gas.
He was the last of a generation. In fact, Harley was a member of “the greatest generation,” and he was the definition of why the World War II generation has that nickname.

To Harley, a handshake still mattered. To Harley, faith and trust in friendship still mattered.

So many times, Harley allowed friends and loyal customers to just sign for gas. He was in the truest sense, as glorified in Alan Jackson’s song, the “little man.”

As the concrete rose up around him and all the bright, generic gas stations popped up all over the country, Harley strived on the small town principles he had lived by his entire life.

Harley spent his life serving this community. He spent his life pumping his neighbors’ gas. He spent his life providing Landrum students tons of candy.

He was dedicated to what he did. In a world where everyone is used to getting their Thanksgivings and Christmases off of work, Harley would go into work.

He loved what he did.

He didn’t just pump gas. Harley talked to his customers. He asked about their families. He asked how they were feeling.

He cared.

When was the last time you walked into a gas station and the attendant asked you about your sister, your spouse, or your parents?

Harley was more than just our gas attendant. He was our friend and our neighbor.
I just moved to Landrum three years ago, but I did know who Harley was. He was a friend of my wife’s family and it was the only place that they bought gas.

Of course… Harley did that. He inspired customer loyalty by being loyal to everyone.
People would drive the extra mile to get gas from Harley. They would pay the extra dime for Harley’s gas.

I didn’t meet Harley until last year around this time. I heard through the grapevine that he was selling his gas station. I knew then what he meant to this community and I wanted to do a feature on him.

It was a privilege and an honor to talk to Harley and his family. They’re sweet people who share his kindness with the rest of the world.

The part of my talks with Harley that sticks out the most was his love for his wife, Nellie. The couple met at a church weenie roast and they were married for 70 years. She passed away last year. In our talks, the love he felt for his wife shone from his voice like the sun.

Also, I could tell that he appreciated those long days at the gas station, where he was surrounded by friends. Harley had a group of friends that were always at the gas station with him. He was never alone.

Those same friends were invited to hang out with him at his home after he retired from the gas business.

The thing that Harley will be remembered the most for, however, is his love for Landrum Cardinal sports.

He was an avid football fan, but didn’t get to attend many games. Last season, he was honored at a football game and the night was deemed “Harley Night.” Harley Davidson motorcycles were driven out onto the field to honor the longtime fan.

To celebrate his love for the Cardinals, he was buried in a Landrum Cardinal hat.
I’m sure he’d be proud of that hat. It’s sad for Harley to go.

There are not a lot of Harleys left in the world. It’s a sad fact. In a world of ever-growing businesses, there are more faces than names. There is less personal conversation and more speedy checkouts.

Harley was a good man.

He left a kind, friendly legacy that most in Landrum and Polk County will never forget.

Harley may be gone, but there is a small piece of him in every child that has bought candy in his store, every person that has been honored to have him pump their gas, and so many friends and family members that have loved and cherished him for the man that he was.

I’m sorry I didn’t know him sooner, but I’m thankful we met and I’m thankful for the honorable way that he lived his life.

Harley was generous, sometimes in small, barely detectable ways, and in a sense, he’s changed all of our lives in some way through his kindness.

We should all be more like Harley.

Discovering life with rescued greyhounds

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of columns from Bulletin sports editor Joey Millwood about rescuing greyhounds.

What greyhounds don’t know when you first get them could fill a library.

Huh?

I’m sure that’s what you’re asking right about now.

While a rescued greyhound is no longer a puppy, in a lot of ways they are puppies.
They don’t have the knowledge of a lot of things. They learn things by watching.

If you’re still confused, I’ll give you an example.

Stairs.

While we walk up and down stairs like it’s nothing, greyhounds may not see it that way.

It took a while for Sadie and Sabrina to master steps. Sometimes it seems they still don’t know how to use them.

They’ll either try to jump over them or they just look up at me all confused.

How could a dog not know how to use steps?

It’s simple.

They’ve never seen them.

You may not understand the way these dogs are treated at the tracks yet.

When I say that they’re kept in a box for 22 out of 24 hours of each day, that is fairly accurate.

The lucky greyhounds are the winning ones that the owners may want to breed to create more racers. They escape their little box to breed for a little while.

Greyhounds don’t get to experience life and the things in it. They stare at four walls until it’s time to eat or race.

They come out and eat their raw, old meat and then it’s back to their crates.

They hear the bell, chase the rabbit around the track, and then it’s back to their crates.

Greyhounds don’t experience anything. They’ve never seen glass doors. They’ve never seen stairs. They haven’t experienced the things that most dogs have experienced. In essence, their minds are a clean slate as far as knowledge goes.

I don’t mean to say that greyhounds are stupid because they’re not. They’re very intelligent dogs that pick up on things very easily.

Picture this. A child is born. It’s kept away from anything and everything that all other children come in contact with. Instead of going to school, visiting the playground, discovering games and playing with other children, this child is left in a room with nothing. All that’s in this room are walls and a hardwood floor.

What do you think that child will learn?

Greyhounds aren’t given the luxury of experience. They haven’t seen the world like other dogs and humans have.

They have to learn how to do things late in life. They have to learn how to walk up stairs after their racing days are over.

They pick up on things rather quickly, it’s just that they have to learn it late.
They come from owners whose only concern is how fast they run and how much money they can make.

It’s just another thing that is special about rescuing greyhounds.

You get to discover life with greyhounds. You get to watch their ears perk up at noises they’ve never heard or watch them stare at the television they’ve never seen.

The most beautiful thing is to watch them run around in your backyard. While they still run circles, it’s fun to watch them run all over the place. Watching them discover the feeling of not being on a leash or not having to chase a rabbit in order to run and play is a beautiful sight.

The most important thing with greyhounds, however, is that you have to keep them on a leash or keep them in a fenced environment. They can’t run free. For one thing, they’re way faster than you are and they don’t understand that they have to stay with you.

The exploration of a greyhound is a fun thing to watch. It’s a beautiful sight to watch a greyhound discover life and freedom.

It makes you love life even more yourself. It’s an amazing thing for me to have my Sadie and Sabrina in my life every day. Every morning I awaken to the miracle of life. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened to them if they hadn’t been rescued by the organization that we got them from.

If they had never found their way into our lives, what their experience would have been is not a scenario that I want to imagine. Every day with my dogs is a gift. No matter how much Brando yaps, I love him.

Dogs are truly man’s (and woman’s) best friend and we should treasure them every day. Everyone should own at least one dog and if you own a dog, make it a rescue, whether it’s a greyhound or a dog from the Foothills Humane Society.

We should all be concerned with saving a life.