Father's Day stories with Steve Hartman

deep inside Japan's Park in Hinesburg Vermont there's a mystery back in 2011 someone walked way out here under the cover of night and installed a mailbox leaving no explanation aside from that three-letter clue d a d after keeping it secret for so many years I knew that somebody would find out about it and want to share it with others and I think now is now is a great time to share it Barry lampke put it there because he has always been a letter writer and his favorite pen pal was always his father George that was my way to connect with him and so when he hashed away about a year later I realized that that piece of our relationship was missing and so that's when I decided to find a way to continue that connection again until recently no one knew how it got there but many have stumbled upon it peeked inside and made it their connection too strangers now leave blank journals for others to write in and today there are hundreds of messages to Dad's Gone by you showed me how kind and gentle a truly strong man is how challenging it is sometimes to keep you a part of my life when the living are so needy I often wish I could see you but I don't miss you because your spirit Glides by so often and of course the most recent entry Daddy-O for so long it was our private conversation but so many people have found this to be a place of Love appreciation and healing as we struggle to survive this pandemic and heal the wounds that we have created as a country your gift will be a place where we can all come together to connect with our dads and share their stories love forever and a day Barry and with that the portal closes yet again ready for the next grateful child to come along Steve Hartman on the road in Hinesburg Vermont sophomore Caleb swanigan number 50 for the Purdue Boilermakers may be the most talented college basketball player in the country but he is also the most unlikely it feels like I just had two lives really if it was like for lack of better words it feels like I died and then you know got a reincarnation this is the new Caleb swanigan and this was the old that's him in the yellow over 360 pounds in eighth grade the only thing this kid could dunk was a cookie but what makes his success most implausible is that for the majority of his childhood Caleb was homeless his mom used to drag him from shelter to shelter here in Indianapolis and across the country until 2011 when she gave up her parental rights we have a little blue shirt a tie and some khaki pants and had a little duffel bag on his arm that's all the possessions he had yeah Roosevelt Barnes adopted Caleb at the time Roosevelt was recently divorced and his other kids were grown and gone and it allowed me to have somebody in the house that I can love again really love and encourage rebound rebound Roosevelt says you have to encourage which is why when that 360 pound 8th grader said he wanted to play basketball of all sports Roosevelt didn't try to lower Caleb's expectations he raised them when he couldn't jump over a piece of paper I was telling you're great you're the best power forward in the world it's pretty lying to him no I wasn't I was speaking faith faith is the substance of things hopeful and evidence of Things Not Seen and Caleb believed I guess he saw something in me that I didn't see myself at that point it helped that Roosevelt knew a little something about sports he played pro football in Detroit and he now works as a sports agent so he laid out a program for Caleb that included getting in shape and getting mostly AIDS in school as a result yesterday Caleb swanigan was named an academic All-American one of the top basketball players in the country with a 3.3 GPA to boot this kid one of a kind or is he just one of many kids on our streets and in our foster system who simply needs someone to believe Steve Hartman on the road in West Lafayette Indiana I'm coming to you tonight from the greatest natural wonder in the world the Grand Canyon I chose this particular assignment boondoggle call it what you will partly because I've been wanting to come here my whole life but mostly because of somebody else who's been wanting to come here for all of his this is my dad George Hartman he never had a chance to do much sightseeing raising my brothers and me on an auto worker's salary well I worked several years 52 weeks out of the year which is why I've always wanted to bring him to the Grand Canyon so he could enjoy his three greatest passions in life being with family being outdoors and complaining about gas prices 259.9 for a guy like my dad never paid so much money for gas in all my life it just doesn't get any better than this ripoff for sure good good our first look at the canyon was at Sunset we both had pretty much the same reaction same in the crickets Jiminy crickets it's 10 miles across a mile deep no wonder four million people visit every year good luck a fraction of those will hike all the way to the bottom it's a trek my dad and I briefly considered until we read the warnings about heat stroke and dehydration Headache nausea and vomiting it'd be nice if we could just do one that has just headache and nausea fortunately there's more to a good family vacation than becoming violently ill foreign or in your backyard that doesn't seem like that'd be you you can spend money in the gift shop or make it on the overlooks I see it time and I see some pennies let's see a couple of Corners there's a good Buck 50 out there dad well it wouldn't be that hard to get it Dad we're not going to do that we had some good laughs but the best part of the trip was rediscovering what I really love about my dad how at 78 he's still so fascinated with everything that dog real and how comfortable he is striking up conversations with total strangers how much was gas in 1955. often about the history of gas prices you hear that what's that 10 cents a gallon the Kansas of the gas War really my dad that's interesting talking gasoline Standing On Top of the World no kidding Sun by his side have had the perfect vacation worth a trip oh my God yes Dad thinks we should just stay here because of the stunning beauty or even the father-son moments but because he insists at 259 a gallon getting home is just too darn expensive I believe we have a widening generation gap in America a technology Gap that is separating people like me who live for the latest gizmos and gadgets from people like my father who live in 1952. it really shouldn't bother but that same stinking lawnmower the way he sits around his radio every night like FDR is about to come on he has never gotten past the phonograph hasn't a clue how to answer a cell phone hello which is why I went shopping what's all that bringing you into the 21st century I got my Dad a DVD player TiVo everything he never wanted this is an iPod iPod iPod my goal was to make his life better what does this thing do that plays music and certainly when that first Beethoven song kicked in I swore I was making progress Ludwig I feel like I'm in Vienna but later he said the iPod controls were just too complicated clearly getting my father to let go of his ways would be way harder than I imagined Delaware District of Columbia my second Pitch involved a collection of maps he's been saving since AAA was just an a flint I don't know what I'm doing it Flynn surely he'd want to be rid of those it's called a GPS it's not telling me what to do well you have to figure out how to get out of the parking lot yourself oh even when my dad does catch on to something he almost instantly complains that it doesn't do more does it tell you which lane to get into no it doesn't tell you which lane to get into well that can really confuse things dad would not be throwing out his Maps anytime soon but I had one last idea nothing electronic but still very 21st century my father had never been in a Starbucks never had anything but straight coffee I want a tall low-fat match yellow what a rip-off he never did tell me exactly how it tasted but I recognize the face from my mother's cooking you don't have to finish it if you don't want to I'm not going to throw it away for three dollars and 35 cents so why does it bother me that my dad lives in the past well I thought about it the only answer I could come up with is that maybe I don't want to admit he's getting older that's why for Christmas this year I'm going to give him what he really wants time together and of course a map of Wisconsin a while back Steve Hartman brought us a very personal story but one that many folks could identify with at the end of a tough week and with Father's Day coming up on Sunday it seemed like a good time to share it again so here's Steve on the road at the intersection of yesterday and tomorrow long before I went on the road there was one road Malcolm Road in Toledo Ohio there was one house number 1053 and one man my number one you recognize any of these I sure do my father George Hartman built this house himself back in 1955. I sure do how long were you planning on living here the rest of my life but when we built this house we then consider stairs as a factor when he got old and so here we are at that moment elderly parents and their grown children seem to dread equally the selling of the family home I prefer this day but you also have to realize that all good things come to an end after my mom died last year it became increasingly difficult for him to manage on his own so last month my brother Joe and I went to Toledo to pack up his things see what that is what is that my mother's hair when she died she never got gray hair as you can see I would have taken your word for it we spent a couple days trying to help Dad with his downsizing yeah I don't want to throw anything away like that okay which at times felt more like same sizing shoehorn yeah I was looking for that but when pressed the only things that truly mattered centered on either his faith Rosary no or his family I love you Dad Happy Valentine's Day you wanna throw that away no a house that raised a family is so much more than wood and shingles it's home to almost every memory of our younger lives it's in the background of everything we were and help make us who we are it's where we learn to feel safe sound and sometimes even invincible yes technically a house is just a place but at times like this sure feels more like a person my dad is now moving to a one-story apartment near my other brother Mike in Atlanta there you go Dad and although I know he's not going to like it at first hopefully eventually he'll be able to focus Less on what he left behind and what he made possible Steve Hartman on Malcolm Road in Toledo Ohio if life is a journey Steve Hartman's family has passed a milestone on the road story people ask me about more than any other a story we first told last year about the house I grew up in and the man who made it you recognize any of these my father George Hartman built this house himself back in 1955. I sure do how long were you planning on living here the rest of my life but when we built this house we didn't consider stairs as a factor when he got old my dad moved from here to a senior living facility near my other brother Mike in Atlanta where I recently visited I get a lot of emails people asking me how you're doing yeah what do you call a lot of emails hundreds as you can tell he's still the same old dad he got to keep his dog which mattered most to him and not a single stare in the place which mattered most to us and as for his fans he told me he appreciates all of you who asked about him tell him I'm still alive okay what are they going to say when I drop over dead I don't know what they'll say but I'm sure he'll want to read their emails Steve Hartman on the road in Atlanta we end the week with a tribute to a man you've seen an eight Steve Hartman stories his father George Hartman we are sad to report passed away recently so not hear Steve on the road and from the heart his was the only story I was literally born to tell the story of an auto worker dad who raised three children in total anonymity until one day his youngest son that would be me but a TV control room in his garage and rigged the house with cameras just to see what the retiree did all day which wasn't much and yet to my surprise that story resonated with viewers not because he was my dad but because he was every dad of that generation he lived to be 92 and never once answered a cell phone successfully hello he had Starbucks one time I want a tall match yellow a caramel macchiato what a rip-off with an extra shot of Cheapskate you don't have to finish it if you don't want to I'm not going to throw it away for three dollars and 35 cents my dad never got over the Great Depression good gosh even when staring into Splendor he could still spot a way to save money I see a dime and I see some pennies I see a couple quarters there's a good Buck 50 out there dad well it wouldn't be that hard to get him Dad we're not going to do that and yet he never skimped on conversation is that dog real he'd talk to anyone how much was gas in 1955. often about the history of gas prices you hear that what's that 10 cents a gallon in Kansas at the gas War really that's interesting my dad was an accidental humorist slowed down he rarely meant to be funny but he was deliberate with his love say a prayer by far the most selfless man I knew did you try to think of one thing you ever bought for yourself well I can't think of anything offhand I can't either his death makes me an orphan my mom died a few years ago and I can tell you this is a unique kind of emptiness when there is no one left on Earth to love you quite so unconditionally The Last Story I did with my dad was when we had to move him out of his house in Toledo he had to decide what was worth saving and in the end it all came down to Faith Rosary oh and family I love you Dad Happy Valentine's Day you wanna throw that away no a great parent does a lot more than make you wash behind your ears a great parent is a miracle worker who can mold a helpless blob like this one into a child who feels invincible and although losing such a parent can feel like Kryptonite remembering them in all their Glory can make your heart fly Steve Hartman on the road in Toledo that is the CBS Evening News for this week thank you Steve thank you George have a great weekend with Father's Day coming up Sunday we end tonight with a shining example of what fathers do and why we honor them Steve Hartman met him on the road I know what I'm gonna do whether etched on Tiny trophies or scrawled in cran and marker this weekend a lot of kids will declare their dad the world's greatest you put a donut in his hand that's perfect that's perfect but when eight-year-old Logan Rosati makes the claim you can't help but believe her he wants me to have a wonderful life I wouldn't trade him verbally we first met Logan's day Chris Rosati a few months ago you had two Donuts he was on a mission to give away a thousand Donuts all over his hometown of Durham North Carolina we're glad to make some people smile a few years earlier Chris had been diagnosed with ALS Lou Gehrig's Disease it's a terminal illness but instead of wallowing he made a conscious decision to spread as much kindness as he could while he could mostly as an example for Logan and her little sister Delaney I can't teach them every lesson I know I have them enough time but I can be a good person and they can see that Chris says one of the benefits of ALS is that it puts your priorities in Crystal Clear Focus good buddy he says dads who think their careers matter in the slightest and as a VP of marketing he was one of them are clueless we're missing the greatest experience will ever have ever you always think that people who are dying want to get up early and watch the sunrise I know I like this sleep but if my kids get up early then you want to get up I want that experience you know that's also why he's making every effort to make new memories every day oh yeah I got in the Summer full on this night he arranged for Logan who loves cooking to work beside a top-notch chef there you go he's got even bigger surprises ahead that he says will wow his girls but as far as Logan is concerned that's really not necessary he had her at hello because that dad who has Alice was the dad I was born with and as for feeding her life lessons he had her at the donuts what do you think you'll remember about him he tried to make friends with the world I think it's hard to do that so I'm proud of him and you can bet right now he's so proud of her Steve Hartman on the road in Durham North Carolina 's greatest gifts can our release Steve Hartman on the road time to go for a walk when John ivanowski's kidneys started failing and he needed a transplant the most likely donor match was his daughter Delaney but John would have no part of her and I was like well why can't he just have my kidney I just take it now I said no way why so adamant that she'd not help she's the only thing I got 15 years earlier John's only other child Dawson died of cancer so the thought of Delaney going through this surgery no matter how small the risk was more than he could bear after losing Dawson I I I don't know what I would do fortunately a donor step forward yeah an anonymous donor an anonymous living donor who also just so happened to be living in his basement unbeknownst to John Delaney had spent the last year working with the transplant center here at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St Louis getting tested going through protocols and all the while completely deceiving her father until this very moment oh my God are you kidding me John says he sat there for quite a while not knowing what to feel I started crying hard to process everything you know because anger and gratitude have never been intertwined like they were at that moment should I kill you now or kill you later as time has passed his gratitude overtaken the anger oh yeah oh yeah most parents would give anything for their children and when those tables turn it's not really a parent's place to protest because the kids are just following the example you set I would do it over and over and over again if it meant to like save his life and have him here with me how do you say thank you just uh take care of this gift the gift from her and the gift that is her Steve Hartman on the road in St Louis finally tonight if you were to write a letter to Heaven would you get a response Steve Hartman may have found an answer on the road earlier this month out of the Clear Blue Sky a small mylar balloon floated into the parking lot of the Local Heroes Restaurant in Auburn California Lisa swissley is the owner I found the balloon right over here right over here yeah and I saw some writing on it and started reading it a little bit and oh my gosh this is so it was so deep and emotional the balloon was signed by a girl who lived 450 miles away in Whittier California her name is Ashlyn marasino she's 16. and although she was happy to learn someone found her balloon that restaurant was not her intended target have you ever let a balloon go and watch it it really does look like it's going to heaven and that's like I want him to know that I still love him and all that Ashland meant that balloon for her father Scott marascino died of an aneurysm in 2009 and Ashland has been sending him messages on his birthday ever since on this balloon she wrote Dear Dad you have missed so much and I miss you there's this guy I met Bryant he's really nice funny and sweet I've been playing softball for 11 years I'm hoping you're helping me get those home runs I wanted to share my accomplishments my life I wanted to tell him what he missed out on and most importantly she wanted to apologize for all the times she didn't write Scott spent a few years in jail for robbery and during those years he sent Ashland hundreds of letters and handmade cards I never responded you never answered them never a real letter no even after he got out and turned his life around Ashland says she still ignored his phone calls sometimes including the one she got right before his aneurysm I didn't answer the phone and why what if he wanted to say I love you and I would like to say that when I didn't get to how many of us go to bed at night with the same potential for regret how many of us might one day be just this desperate for one last contact fortunately for Ashland she's pretty sure she got through this time on the balloon she asked her dad for a sign and when someone somehow found her note in the Local Heroes parking lot of all places that was enough for her just gave me Faith and Hope again and reassurance and it was it's pretty amazing take it from an angel Steve Hartman on the road in Whittier California Steve Hartman's been on the road for years and we finally got a postcard generally speaking postcards are for brigerts write what you will but the core message is always the same I'm on vacation you're not nana wish you were here if they really wished you were there they wouldn't have left you behind but in Valdosta Georgia we found a man who's bringing a certain sincerity to the petty postcard his campaign started in 1995. David Lasseter had just dropped off his oldest daughter at college she was going to Notre Dame and he was going to Mush because I cried from South Bend Indiana to Elizabethtown Kentucky with the whole family in the car when I left her and I missed her so that night he sent her a postcard and then why quit just as he has done virtually every day since for all four of his kids any day they're not with him he sends cards nearly 20 000 over 20 years his daughter Sarah who lives in Savannah Georgia has actually saved them all on strings and racks and crammed in cabinets there's nothing I love more than just a picture of a building and almost every card is unique he'll mail anything on front and back Uncle Ben's rice box what did he find to say there's a whole lot of talk about gardening and football apologies to your dad but that sounds boring I mean come on I need a hard lace-up shoe who really cares what happened at the podiatrist he taped my foot and said for me to wear my shoes all the time I don't even know if they read the cards anymore and he doesn't mind if they don't David says this was never about conveying new information this was always about repeating the same message over and over and over again When I'm Gone they'll know their daddy loved them I think they know that now you know if life gets tough and it's nice to know somebody loves you no matter what a good reminder after this week especially to tell your kids you love them as daily and creatively as you possibly can Steve Hartman on the road in Valdosta Georgia now the play of the game and maybe the season here's Steve Hartman on the road at a small University near Birmingham Alabama we found a big guy six foot eight 310 pound senior offensive lineman George Grim Wade is a dominating force on the Samford Bulldog football team over the last four years the name Grim Wade has become synonymous with muscle and might but this story will surely change that George a kind person and he's proven that through life many many times that's what this is all about Michael Musto is Georgia's stepdad he married George's mom Michelle when George was in fifth grade and the two have gotten along famously ever since he was just a sweet young man until Michael Musto came along George never had a regular male presence in his life I was trying to win so they bonded over football especially you didn't get to see the game last night it's just how we've always communicated you know through Sports is it more or I love you it's definitely neither of those I'll be honest with you I think we just talked football I don't think there's any grunting or it's safe to say you've never yeah that's the ultimate way to show them how much I love him was to do this earlier this month George pulled off one of the most memorable moments in Samford football history a sneak play that is stepdad especially never saw coming official the play was certified by a judge designed by seam ripper needle and thread and executed by number 76 himself I jogged over to my dad and my dad goes what are you doing he's got some papers in his hand I don't know what he's doing you know how much I love you right yeah and how I always treasure the time I have with you yeah now you're my world I got my last name changed look at my jersey I saw my name on that Jersey it was like wow this kid really loves me I couldn't get the words out of my mouth I love you so much Dad took my voice away he's just the best for a stepdad it's hard to imagine a higher honor for a football player hard to imagine a greater show of strength because George didn't just change the letters on his jersey that day he put his heart on his sleeve and the name for that his hero Steve Hartman on the road in Birmingham Alabama that reminds you of the importance of family tonight we have the story of a foster dad who has much to be thankful for and all the foster kids who are thankful for him here's cbs's Steve Hartman on the road when Lamont Thomas became an empty nester it was the end of a parenting Legend as we first reported a couple years ago this divorced father of two took on Hero's status when he took on a foster kid named Michael Perez he was a good young man you know and I I just hated to see him in the system eventually Lamont adopted Michael who now works as a nurse I don't believe that I would be the person that I am today without the morals that he instilled in me the family the extended family that I have now how extended is that family I tell you if I had enough fingers and toes to count turns out Michael was just the beginning yes Marcus over the next 15 years Lamont fostered more than 30 kids here in Buffalo New York come on and adopted five of them and JJ and again he did this all on his own and with all of his heart every child that I have had it was my goal to make a difference in their lives proud of them and you retired from fostering I did go fishing oh yeah trips love all of that of course we wouldn't be here today if that was still the case yes sir it really was a shocker I didn't expect for him to restart and to do it all over again it's just amazing that's right he got back in the game and in a big way took on five siblings all under the age of six major are you eating books Lamont a retired caterer says he did have other plans for these years I didn't think it was this but those plans have now been shattered with Mayhem when was the last time you went fishing it wasn't this summer Lamont decided to Foster all five after he found out they were going to be permanently split up yes and to guarantee they stay a family okay he adopted them too I had to help him they deserve to be raised together don't lick my mirror please after this story first aired we got a lot of surprising mail from women who saw this overwhelmed Bachelor and thought hottie some notes were subtle ask Mr Thomas if he would like a pen pal others more bold women calling from all over the place one of them told me I think you're my clearly the nor does Lamar he's about to change my number so he remains single spent Thanksgiving with family and is more grateful than ever to be not fishing Steve Hartman on the road in Buffalo maybe it's fate but sometimes the right person comes into your life just when you need them the most here's cbs's Steve Hartman on the road according to her mother Lacey six-year-old ray lynn Nast of Fort Smith Arkansas has always been a daddy's girl she was very proud of her dad she always wanted to introduce her dad to just about anybody until a couple weeks ago when her father Davey died of colon cancer he was just 41 and RaeLynn was just devastated it was a cry that was pure heartbreak enter Emily beinemann who happened to be jogging with her dog blue the day of the visitation she was running past the funeral home when all of a sudden she heard a tiny voice call out from the chapel steps she's like pet your puppy and I was like yeah like of course like as long as your parents don't mind that's what you said to her yeah not knowing not knowing yeah RaeLynn explained that her dad was lying inside gave blue a huge hug and then gave Emily a stunning invitation I asked her if she wanted to come in and see my dad that's right this still proud daughter invited that random jogger to meet her father Emily was hardly dressed for a funeral and she knew just walking in the door would cause a scene but she also knew this was the last time that little girl would be able to introduce her daddy to anyone so she followed her gut and followed RaeLynn down the aisle everyone was kind of looking around like where did she come from and she came in right next to Ray like they'd known each other for so long there was that connection there how could two people Bond so quickly helped me feel better ray lynn says it should be no Mystery by her kindness RaeLynn and Emily got together again this week and planned to stay friends forever sweet of course no one will ever replace her dad but RaeLynn is clearly on the path to a better place yes thanks to the kindness of a stranger oh those are good kisses and the healing power of a warm puppy Steve Hartman on the road in Fort Smith Arkansas for most of her life 21 year old Brittany peck of Elyria Ohio felt caught in the middle Torn Between Two Men she truly adored her father Todd Bachmann and her stepdad Todd sandroski I felt like maybe I need to just like pick yeah basically yeah what a position to be in I know it was really really tough so I was in kindergarten this all began back when Britney was six her parents split up then got wrapped up in a bitter custody battle it was riddled with lawyers in courtrooms her dad a short Haul truck driver wanted custody and certainly had no interest in sharing his daughter with Brittany's new stepdad who says the ill feelings were mutual we did not get along we tolerated each other that's probably the best way to to describe it over the years things did improve slightly they shared custody and both men came to realize they were both pretty good Fathers but there was still a little tension in the air when last month the two families got together for Brittany's wedding her biological father was supposed to walk her down the aisle when all of a sudden he bolted to the front I said I'll be back and that's when I walked down the aisle grab Todd and say come on he said you had just as much of a part of this and raising these kids as uh as I did he goes it's you're going to come and help me walk our daughter down the aisle our daughter he said our daughter and that's when I lost it hand in hand they went back to get Brittany then arm and arm they gave their daughter the wedding she always dreamed of it meant the world to me it was the happiest moment of my life walking down the aisle with both of them in the presence of God and parents and step parents are often at odds but the wisest eventually realized that getting along isn't just best for the kids it's for them if that individual accepts your children and treats them as his own how can you not have respect for somebody like that he invited me to be part of that day and that's something that can ever be taken away it'll always be there a little wedding day advice from the fathers of the Bride it's true that we learn a lot every Friday from cbs's Steve Hartman and tonight he's on the road to expand our vocabulary all you want is a nice peaceful breakfast so you slice open an orange or grapefruit and get ready to attack it with a spoon only to have it attack you back right in the eye the phenomenon is well documented in pop culture but did you know there's a word for what your citrus does to you you get sprayed in the eye you got it or escalated it or what oh it orbisculated brother and sister Jonathan and Hillary Krieger of Boston say they picked up that word from their father as a child you learn words because your parents use them and then you start using them and you don't kind of question is it a real word until you're thumbing through a dictionary one day and find there between orb and orbit nothing and I said Dad what's wrong with this dictionary or bisculee isn't in it and he said well maybe I might have made it up I might have made this word up the Kriegers laughed about that for years laughed until they cried last April Jonathan and Hillary's dad Neil died of covet and in the days after his passing that orbisculate story was one of the few things that still brought a smile which gave the kids an idea it felt like a very nice way to honor someone at a time where there's not a lot of positive things going on what they did was launch a campaign to get orbisculate into the dictionary by getting folks to use it right they came up with a list of 78 goals like get the word in a crossword puzzle check temporarily tattooed on someone's body check in a child's chalk drawing check in a Petri dish of phosphorescent bacteria surprisingly check in a news story check someone even put it on a sign at a grocery store warning strong possibility of orbiscuulation Words With Friends added it to their game this woman wrote it into a song [Music] of course getting orbiscuate entrenched into our vernacular will be the challenge but Jonathan and Hillary are determined to see this through and that would be something our dad would really love definitely and you don't need a dictionary to see the meaning of that Steve Hartman on the road in Boston we end the week with a father-in-child reunion it's only moments away here's Steve Hartman on the road we are moments away from Elation five-year-old Brian Kelly has been waiting nearly six months for his dad Air Force Captain Dan Kelly to get back from an overseas deployment but before I show you that happy ending we need to go back to the sad beginning he said I have to go now I'll see you soon and Brian just started weeping Brian's mom Barbara says what upset her son most was that he wouldn't be able to do yard work anymore his favorite father-son activity as we first reported a few months ago Dan's deployment left his Junior Airmen aimlessly Leaf blowing in the wind counting the days till dad's return neighbor Dean Cravens used to watch them he knew the boy missed his dad but he didn't know how much until he got a knock at the door nobody ever comes to our front door so we're like okay who Could That Be and you could see him through the window it's Brian and I and I just looked at him and I could tell he wanted to do yard work I said sure meet me around the garage we'll get some tools out and go and there was a door knock virtually every day thereafter yes Mr Brian we kind of took it upon himself to adopt me to do the yard work there you go cut those off which is why all summer good good you could find this Father Figure and Son puttering around their yards in Belleville Illinois there it is bagging the clippings and blowing their cares away by the way Dean does have a day job Works in I.T and he does have his own family but he always made time for Brian every single day has Dean ever sent him back say not today never never we've been out there for hours at a time don't you have other things you should be doing probably yes so why keep doing this and I just like to see the smile on his face and see him happy doing it let's talk about supporting the troops for most of us it's a commitment that begins and ends at our bumper sticker but Dean Craven showed us what it really means to serve those who serve in this case Ryan making a long wait go by just a little bit faster for son and father it makes you feel good that there's somebody else out there that's looking out for your child sort of a male role model for him today Captain Kelly has his wingman back but neighbor Dean Craven says he will be there if duty calls again knowing that sometimes it really does take a village of landscapers Steve Hartman on the road in Belleville Illinois we end the week with a special bond between dad and daughter Steve Hartman got to the root of it on the road fill more geese of Daytona Beach Florida has always been good with his hands on guy stuff but when it came to the finer points of styling his daughter's hair Phil admits he was about a court low because every time I put a little hair clip in her hair it would fall out almost immediately there with you bro yeah what were you sending her out looking like she used to wear a lot of hats Phil is obviously a single dad and he hated that he couldn't put in a measly clip let alone a four-strand braid right he wanted to learn like really badly and I told him it's so easy you just take four strands this is his daughter Emma oh what Emma didn't realize about her dad or most dads for that matter you lost me is that the Y chromosome makes us follicly challenged yeah I was like Daddy I'm gonna do three strand braid just back off at that point a lot of guys would have given up not Phil he watched a ton of YouTube videos and when he eventually mastered it a light went off something as simple as sending your daughter out and her being proud of her hair and you being proud of your work it's a beautiful thing you know the purpose of the class is just to go through the basics to share that feeling Phil now gives free styling lessons to other like-minded dads grab the hair Daytona Beach police officer Kevin pedry is a fairly typical client this is a lot harder than I do normally Kevin says arresting Crooks is a cakewalk compared to capturing a ponytail okay we'll start over but Phil presents it in a way even the most Macho Man can understand it's like wrapping a rubber band around an extension cable and by the end of this lesson in girly girl 101 their styling skills are second to bond wrapping the braid around the ponytail itself although Phil says the real reward has nothing to do with hair that's excellent time to sit there and just talk about your day yeah my dad has a moto it's not about the bun it's about the bond or it's not about the braid it's about the bonds or anything that has B in them yeah it kind of works yeah yeah whatever the marketing it's a success since launching the class in October lots of other dads have started workshops in Pennsylvania Texas even the Netherlands what more can I say the only question we haven't asked is have I ever done a hairstyles on a cat you're right I left that one out have you ever done a hairstyle on a cat yeah well no I should have quit when I was ahead Steve Hartman on the road in Daytona Beach Florida

Channel: CBS Evening News

Views: 51,125

Keywords: cbs evening news, evening news, cbs news, news, breaking news, top stories, full episode, steve hartman, on the road, steve hartman on the road 2022, steve hartman kindness 101, father's day, dads, steve hartman dad, george hartman

Id: P6c7_6_7uaY

Length: 47min 14sec (2834 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 16 2023