Waldmire’s final meeting with his beloved VW

A few days ago, I posted a story about Tom Wanko’s unselfish efforts to transport Bob Waldmire’s early 1970s Volkwagen minibus from southern Arizona to Rochester, Ill., because he was too ill to drive it himself.

I received this eyewitness account from longtime roadie Lynn “Lulu” Bagdon about the minivan’s arrival a few weeks ago in Rochester:

I was so very lucky to be in Rochester when the van finally arrived on its final journey. […] Bob got a call, the van was close. […] Bob put on some boots, and a sweatshirt, and came out […] looking for his beloved vehicle; he was moving slow, but he got there. He had a big walking stick with him to lean on.

You could tell he was excited, but not moving so fast.  He got to the van and tried opening the door while it was still on the trailer … Tom said, “Hang on” or something of that nature. He turned the key; she started right up! The old trusty “horse” was still there for him.

The guys got the van off the trailer and moved it to the front of the  bus. I have pics of Bob’s bus, the VW van and his Mustang and his bike that he rode, all in one frame. […] When I was watching the van being unloaded, I thought to myself, “This is going to be the final journey of this VW van that has been cruising Route 66 for so many years!!” I thought to myself: “This is Route 66 history being made, and I am so grateful that I was to be here watching it happen.”

Bagdon e-mailed Wanko to thank him for his efforts. He replied, in part:

THANK YOU FOR BEING SO KIND AS TO ACKNOWLEDGE ME, BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND I DID NOT DO THIS FOR ANY PRAISE; I DID THIS BECAUSE BOB ASKED ME TO. A VERY VERY SICK FRIEND NEEDED ME TO DO SOMETHING THAT MEANT EVERYTHING TO HIM, SO I DID IT.