Well, William, Being an Ohio State fan, I was going to make
a snide comment on how you carved the pumpkin in the picture, but after reading
your next e-mail, all I can say (and this is real hard for me) is Michigan is
#1. Thank you for what you did…that
truly was the greatest prize for growing a pumpkin.
-Gus
Smithhisler
4281 Cleveland
Avenue
Columbus, Ohio
43224
-----Original
Message-----
From: WILLYRAIN@aol.com
[mailto:WILLYRAIN@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2002
10:59 PM
To: pumpkins@hort.net
Subject: The Best Prize I have
ever won!
The Great Pumpkin Ride
~William J. Garvey~
Angels In New York What do you do
with the prettiest pumpkin you have ever grown? My wife Lorraine and I were
thinking just that when we were thinking of what we could do with our best
pumpkin. It weighed over 500 pounds and was perfect in shape. Over the last
month our pumpkins no longer meant as much to us as they once did (since the
events of 09-11-01). Two weeks ago I woke up and knew what to do with my best
pumpkin, I would take it to New York, NY. I told my boss Jill and she was all
for it! So off I went trying to find a place to take it, after just over a week
of frustration I was starting to get discouraged and didn't know what to do
next, then Jill came up with several new people to contact and maps of where to
go if we were finally going to get the go ahead to succeed. On October 10,
2001, one of our leads finally came through. We received a call from the Red
Cross at the New York Family Assistance Center. It was like a dream come true!
They said they would love to have the Pumpkin, when could you deliver it? I
told them I wanted to deliver it tomorrow on the 1 month anniversary of the
crashing of the World Trade Center. I was told no problem, they would love to
have it. I told them that I have to carve it first, then I could leave at
3:00am and I would be there by 4:00pm the next day. They said that would be
great! My manager at work told me to go home and get it done. My wife Lorraine
and I carved the pumpkin for 6 hours, only cutting it 1/2” deep into the skin,
mostly because they wanted it to last for several weeks and this is the only
way we could do it. Normally we cut right through to the inside, but if we did
that it may not have lasted till Halloween. We started this operation at 4:00pm
on Oct 10th and finished at 10pm. By the time we finished loading the pumpkin
it was 11:00pm The finished face of the pumpkin had a little boy preying for
the left eye and a little girl preying for the right eye, both the little boy
and girl were surrounded by hearts. The nose were the firemen putting up the
flag at the World Trade Center and the mouth was the word AMERICA shaped to
make a smile. We wanted to tell everyone that had lost so much that they were
in our hearts and in our preyers. I left for New York City on the morning of
Oct. 11, 2001 at 3am. What a drive! The fall colors in the mountains in
Pennsylvania were awesome! I have never saw so much beautiful country in one
trip in my life (I kept humming, America the Beautiful the whole way). 30 miles
from New York City I was starting to get a little worried I would miss a turn.
All of a sudden a voice came on the CB, “Hey Michigan, How much that Pumpkin
weigh?” I replied just over 500 pounds.” The voice came back. What are you
doing with a pumpkin that is 500 pounds that says America on it? I replied that
this pumpkin is going to the Red Cross Family Assistance Center in New York
City. The radio got quite for a minute, then the voice said are you doing it by
yourself or do you have someone sponsoring you? I told him that it started as
my dream but that my boss at work in Michigan had helped me make it happen by
letting me go home early to carve it and letting me have a few days off to make
it happen! This truck driver from Buffalo, NY. I had never met in my life
helped me for the next 30 miles! He said move over a lane, he said slow down
the road is going to get rough for a few miles. It was almost like he was
helping me drive my truck. This angel followed me all the way to my exit (the
Lincoln Tunnel). When I left his company he said “Hey Michigan, when you get
back home, tell your boss, that New York Says God Bless her for letting you
come! I said thank you for getting me there! I made it to the Red Cross Center
with no problem. Once I got there I had to go through an extensive search of my
truck. I met some Great people! Several of the Police officers couldn't believe
that the pumpkin was real (after a bomb sniffing dog checked it out, I guess
they believed me). One of the young police officers from New York City asked me
how long it took me to carve the pumpkin, I said about 6 hours, he said God
Bless you man! Then he asked me how long it took me to get there, I said about
11 hours, he again said God Bless you man! I said I thought you guys would be
happy. He said you cant even imagine how many kids you are going to make smile.
I said thanks, that is why I came! We were both standing there smiling, then
told me that his brother was in one of the towers that went down, I grabbed his
shoulder and said “Dear God I am sorry”! He said you came so far and I cant
believe you care so much. I told him everyone I know in Michigan and all over
the United States cares as much as I do! He then pointed to all of the police
officers from all over the United States that were helping, and started naming
all the different states they were from, then he said, but to have someone come
like you did, means you really care! I replied I have had a knot in my stomach
since this all began and all of you have been in our hearts ever since! I told
him People like you are why I came. On the 12 hour drive home I had smile on my
face and a tears in my eyes thinking about the 2 angels who had forever touched
my life. My only goal in going to New York was to help all the people that lost
so much feel a little better. Thank you American Red Cross for helping me achieve
my goal and NY, NY for having me.About the
story: On 9-11-01 my world changed again. So many people hurt, so
bad! I didn't know what to do! I heard President Bush tell us to do what ever
we could do best to help all of us feel better. The best things I knew how to
do wouldn't help anyone! The more I thought of it, the more I thought I had to
do something! Then one day I woke up and knew what I was going to do, I have
seen the smiles of many children looking at, climbing on and enjoying my giant
pumpkins. I had heard that as many as 10,000 kids lost either one or both of
their parents on that day. My job or mission was to make them smile. I took the
best pumpkin I grew to New York and one of the things that one of the New York
City Policemen told me as they checked my truck, was you should have a license
plate that say Pumpkin Man, I smiled and said thanks, I once was that, and I
guess I am again today!
William J.
Garvey
