Dean “Crazy Legs” Walker, nicknamed for his ability to turn his legs backward, received a lifetime achievement award from the Kansas Historic Route 66 Association.
Dora Meroney, a longtime Route 66 booster from Amarillo, was there to get pictures of the ceremony at Cars on the Route site in Galena, Kansas.
More pictures from Jeremy Morris:
Here’s a short video of the award presentation:
The City of Galena also honored Walker the same weekend.
The Kansas Historic Route 66 Association in a Facebook post listed Walker’s accomplishments for the 13 miles of Route 66 in Kansas.
Dean has been the Kansas Historic Route 66 President, protector of the Rainbow Bridge, spook light connoisseur, remote visitor center, tourist information center, promoter of every struggling mom & pop shop, hotel, motel, historical icon on the entire Mother Road. And he can give you the contact name, phone number and address of those destinations filed neatly in his front pocket or vest pocket or sometimes in his hat lol … but he’ll get it for you. All of that wrapped up in a big loveable goofball that has a love for a Road that has made him Iconic. Thank you Dean for all you do!
It also should be noted Walker was a prime inspiration for the Tow Mater character in the Disney-Pixar “Cars” movie, along with an abandoned International boom truck in Galena. More about the real-life “Cars” inspiration can be found here.
A 2021 blog post by Mayflower and Mayhem describes the typical Dean Walker encounter fairly well.
We eagerly followed Dean around as he explained all sorts of neat information about Route 66, which he has lived around his entire life. When I tell you the man knows that stretch of road like the back of his hand, it’s no exaggeration. He asked what foods we liked and the kids said hamburgers. He proceeded to tell us about a burger restaurant thirty miles away on Route 66, what we should order, and which turns we’d take to get there. He also told us about stops on the road as far as Arizona; the man is a Route 66 encyclopedia and he’s just super easy to listen to.
Walker is one of the hospitable eccentrics who make Route 66 memorable.
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