Mom Gina Arnold was extremely confused when her young daughter Aubrey became upset after forgetting to tell her mom to drop her off down the street from where her school building was located.
Gina felt she had to get to the bottom of why her daughter was so disappointed.
Aubrey then admitted that she really wanted to “talk to the cute, little old man,” before starting her day.
This would likely cause any mother a bit of shock initially, but Gina knew there was no reason to be concerned when she met the elderly man the kids had dubbed “Mr. Knuckles.”
When asked who this interesting stranger was, Audrey told her mother:
“He stands at the steps where you drop me off and encourages all the students as they walk in”.
And that’s not wrong.
For the last decade, Wally Richardson has been standing directly outside of Marina Village Middle School in El Dorado Hills, California.
The reason? He wants to say hello to all of the students with life advice and fun high fives before they start their school day.
Every morning, 94-year-old Wally Richardson greets parents with a nice wave, and kids with what he calls “Wally-isms.”
Wally Richardson is a 94-year-old veteran who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Wally was also a fighter pilot in the Korean War and then flew for United Airlines – but he hasn’t quit serving his country yet.
His new job started 15 years ago when he was on his daily walk. He likes to give life advice to kids, before they become “too cool” to listen.
Instead of fighting in a conflict, he’s now fighting to better the nation to the sidewalk outside of his local middle school. His own life experiences make him an renowned authority on what kids won’t find in a textbook
Aubrey and the other kids calls him “Mr. Knuckles”
But Wallys is not giving them a classic “knuckle sandwiches.” Instead, Mr. Knuckles is giving the kids words of wisdom with a complimentary “fist bump”.
Richardson tells the kids to be kind whenever possible, they respond by saying, “It’s always possible.”
He hopes he will pass on important life lessons of “love and kindness.”
When Gina drove to the aforementioned steps, she saw Wally standing amongst a crowd of delighted students.
She snapped a photo of the scene and then posted it to Facebook, with words of praise for the veteran.
“This is exactly the kind of love and support our middle schoolers need,” wrote Gina.
“This man stands out side the school every day and gives the gift of encouragement to every student that comes near him.”
The mural on the school wall is filled with some of Wallys’s most precious bits of wisdom
“It takes one significant adult in a kid’s life and you can impact them forever, and Wally is that person with kids,” Cheryl Olson, the school superintendent, stated.
When this amazing man interacts with the kids, everybody forget that an 80-year age difference even exists.
“Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right” is just one of the many thoughtful quotes from Wally Richardson.
Wally’s wife used to join him, but she no longer walks as well as she used to. Despite that, Mr. Knuckles knew he couldn’t give up the tradition.
“If they can be kind and loving to people in life, they won’t have any trouble getting by,” Richardson said.
This is an amazing story of someone wanting to make a difference in the lives of kids! Thank you!