A Vanishing Breed of Men

I have always been fascinated by people who can do things, and I’m not talking about the idle rich who make a scuff-mark in the sand where they want their beach house built and crews of men build it. The ‘doing things’ that I’m referring to is when someone wants something and builds it with their own two hands. I met a man today named Robert E. Lee Voyles. Mr. Voyles is a retired pipeline worker and he decided to build a camper and see the country. Most of us would never attempt such an ambitious project because of a lack of funds or some other excuse. Mr. Voyles doesn’t have a lot of money, but he decided to undertake the project, with whatever was at hand, just because he could. The camper he built isn’t the type of camper you can find in your average dealer’s lot. It is unique and reflects his personality. I came from a generation where men made things. Boats, cabins, tools, airplanes -- you name it and someone was likely to get the itch and drag out their tools. This gentleman is part of a vanishing breed of rugged Americans. He is like one of the many millions of men who conquered the wilderness, ran railroads across the country from coast to coast, and learned to fly in heavier than air machines. If one good thing comes from our economic slowdown, it might be a resurgence of the type of people who can do the things that need to be done. I hope there are more men out there like Mr. Voyles in the next generation, rather than so many who can only work their thumbs on the keyboard of an iPad.

Mr. Voyles is leaving soon on a trip across the country. I hope to meet him again when he returns to our area and listen again to his adventures. I wish there were more like him.