There are many reasons you could say bus driver Leo Hatherley is one of the most colorful members of the Thompson School District Transportation team.
It could be the eye-catching multi-colored (and sometimes tie-dyed) clothes and beaded jewelry he wears, handmade by his beloved wife of 46 years. It could also be the thermos he has with him at all times full of his own special blend he has named Leo’s Rainbow Green Tea. Or perhaps it is the brightly colored artwork, which he describes as “pretty non-commercial,” that he creates and shares with others.
But it is probably all of those things, in addition to the fact that Leo brings a unique light and energy to any space he enters — especially the school buses he has driven for over 40 years.
“A big reason I really love school bus driving is that I love people,” Leo says.
Leo Hatherley came to TSD 16 years ago after driving buses in the mountain area of Gilpin County for 20 years. He came to Colorado in 1981 after spending much of his life on the East Coast. He and his wife are both artists, and they chose not to have children so they could devote their time to their art and creativity. However, Leo enjoys being around children and considers the TSD Transportation Department his second family.
“A big reason I really love school bus driving is that I love people,” Leo says. “I like to keep in mind that the school bus driver is the first person in the morning to greet these kids. We see them first, and if we make a comfortable, welcoming environment, then they can feel good about going into the classroom and they will have a better chance to have a good day.”
According to TSD Director of Transportation Matt Payne, Leo’s commitment to TSD and the students does not go unnoticed.
“Leo is a long-time, veteran driver for TSD, and he brings a combination of positivity, fun, safety, and care to our team and his bus every day. He cares about our team and, most importantly, our students and is always willing to put in additional time to drive for our district and help our students get to school,” Matt says. “Each day, Leo makes a positive impact on his route, and he often has students he has driven in the past that recognize and say hi to him. We think of him as a pretty cool guy to work with.”
Now in his mid-seventies, Leo Hatherley is not shy about sharing his eccentricities, including the fact that he has never owned a cell phone.
“Leo is a long-time, veteran driver for TSD, and he brings a combination of positivity, fun, safety, and care to our team and his bus every day.”
“I’m not tech savvy,” Leo explains, adding that his wife does have a cell phone that he avoids using. “I have a bit of an attitude against the computer revolution. I don’t think it was all that well thought out.”
Instead, Leo fills his free time with activities he loves, such as keeping a journal — something he has done daily since 1973. He is now on his 214th journal and still has every one of his previous journals, filled with his drawings and writings, including records of his most interesting dreams.
“I actually sent a letter to the Guinness Book of World Records once because I thought I had the most journals,” Leo recalls. “They sent me the best rejection letter I ever had.” (It turns out the world record is actually for years spent keeping a journal, and there are people over 100 years old who have decades more journaling than Leo.)
Despite being semi-retired, Leo still loves driving a bus part-time for TSD in the afternoons, sharing a route with another driver. Working for the Transportation Department is something he is passionate about, and it is also a way to support himself and his wife financially.
“I want to say this about working here at TSD Transportation: I totally feel like it’s a second family,” Leo says.
“I want to say this about working here at TSD Transportation: I totally feel like it’s a second family,” he says. “My wife and I are a family, just the two of us, but this is my extended family.”
And it’s the interaction Leo is able to have with students that he says feeds his creativity and spirit.
“I will be 76 in January, but I feel quite young in many respects,” he says. “When I talk to the kids, I don’t talk down to them. As a school bus driver, I’ve found over the years that if you show respect to kids, you’re way more likely to be respected in return. That’s really important to me.”