CABOT, Ark. — Bill Pay is retiring after being a Cabot school bus driver for more than 10 years. On Friday, he took his final ride.
As he pulled into the parking garage one last time, a special group of Greystone parents and students gathered to surprise him with a heartwarming goodbye.
"He calls every child by name every single day when they get on the bus," said Debra Thrasher, a parent of one of Pay's bus riders. "And it's just a little special touch that makes the kids feel like they're important and they matter."
The families were able to gather $750 to give to Mr. Pay as a 'Thank You' gift.
"It's very special to me that he takes such great care of our kids. And I have never worried a day, since the first day I met him," Thrasher added.
Pay said he started working for Cabot schools after his wife told him they really needed school bus drivers.
"So, I showed up and they put me in a bus," Pay said.
It was as simple as that... and it made all the difference