GREENSBORO, N.C. — Louis Gaddy grew up on a farm. He’s used to getting up early and working until the sun goes down. He also understands the importance of helping neighbors.
“That’s just what we did. If you need help, people would help you, and if you didn’t, you’d help them,” Gaddy said.
He lives in East Greensboro now, but his values and morals are tied to a farm. Work hard, help others, and work hard some more. Getting up early to go to work is nothing new, but on Tuesday, it’s the type of work he’s doing that has people staring.
“When I get on this thing, there’s no telling where I’m going to go,” Gaddy said.
This "thing" he is referring to is a slightly rusted red tractor he affectionately calls Old Massie. The one-seat tractor is occasionally used around the yard to help friends, but on Tuesday, she hit the road.
“You can always do something with a tractor,” Gaddy said.
The 73-year-old (Gaddy, not Old Massie) has hooked up a snowplow on the back end of Old Massie to clear roads and driveways around his neighborhood. Gaddy started clearing off some of the side roads in his neighborhood on Monday and spent most of Tuesday doing the same.
“If I can help them, I will,” Gaddy said.
He does all this for free and doesn’t ask for any money, although he’s not opposed to someone slipping him a few bucks for gas.
“I just go on and do this for people. If they want to pay a bit and chip in, that’s good,” Gaddy said.
So, if you see a red tractor slowly rolling through your neighborhood, there’s a good chance it’s Gaddy and Old Massie. If you need him to help, flag him down and ask, and if you don’t need help, just wave and let him know his work is appreciated.