Macon County’s Oldest School Bus Driver Retires

 By Debbie Gregory

As the school year quickly winds down, Macon County’s oldest bus driver, 85-year-old Hollis Harrison, is preparing to retire.

After 18 years behind the wheel of a school bus, his duties will officially end on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. At the bus drivers luncheon held on Thursday, May 12, Harrison was recognized for his years of dedicated service to the Macon County School system, and he was presented with a plaque.

“I was born and raised in Macon County,” said Mr. Harrison, “and after working at TRW in Lebanon for many years, I retired from there in January of 1997.”

A few years later in 2002, Mr. Harrison began taking his great grandson, Logan Horn, to school every morning at Fairlane Elementary, and picking him up in the afternoon. By the time Logan’s sister started school at Fairlane, he was already at Central, so Hollis was driving to both schools twice a day.

After realizing how much he was driving every day, Hollis decided he might as well get paid for it. So, in 2004, a newly motivated Hollis Harrison returned to work, this time as a school bus driver. Not only did he run his morning and afternoon routes, but he also drove one of the vocational buses. He drove approximately 150 miles a day and as fate would have it, he eventually hauled seven of his own great grandchildren.

“Papa started driving a bus when I was 7-years-old and I’m 25 now,” said Logan Horn. “I don’t remember him not driving a bus. This is going to be a big adjustment for all of us, because he’s always been such a hard worker. But I think my grandma and granny will keep him busy.’
“Papa and granny are the rocks of the family,” added Logan. “Everybody looks up to them and they are extraordinary role models.”

“I have been fortunate to work with so many great people through the years, including the bus drivers and mechanics,” said Hollis. “I will miss them all.”
“The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family and also with good health, which has allowed me to drive for so long,” added Hollis. “I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life and spending as much time as I can with my loved ones.” 

Hollis and his wife, Janice, celebrated their 66th Wedding Anniversary on May 12.