A Franklin man will tell you what he shares with the community is so very simple. Yet, the impact is lasting.
There was a little light rain on Tuesday morning. That wasn’t stopping Jim Harris.
“Ah, it’s a little damp,” he smiled as he began his morning walk. “It’s not bad.”
Jim is part of his friends’ morning routine along Franklin’s Carothers Parkway. His friends are the cars driving by and honking.
“I’ve been called The Waver, the Waver Guy, the Waver Dude,” Jim said, furiously waving at the cars passing by.
By the number of honks, it seemed as though they all knew Jim.
“A few of them do, yeah,” he laughed. “I count my honks. Today, I’m at 70 honks.”
He was just getting started.
For years, Jim worked in management at retail stores. He got to talk with people, his customers and employees. It was great. In retirement, he moved to Franklin during a tough year. 2020.
“The day after we moved in, they went into pandemic lock down,” Jim explained. “I wanted to get some exercise. I started walking on the sidewalk just until everything opened up. One day I wondered if anyone would wave back.”