MORAN — Starting in July, children from the Moran area will see a familiar face behind the wheel of the bus taking them to Iola’s swimming pool.
Larry Manes will be doing what he has always loved: drive.
“I love to get behind the wheel and go,” Manes said. “When I was younger I used to do all kinds of traveling, so driving was one of those things I couldn’t get enough of.”
Manes’ love affair started during college. He had just completed four years in the Navy.
Manes was looking for a job that he could work for a while and then concentrate on classes at Johnson County Community College, where he graduated in 1969.
“I started out driving a dump truck during the off times between semesters,” Manes said. “It was something fun I could do to make some decent money so I didn’t have to work when classes were going on.”
At Pittsburg State University, Manes took the next step in his fuel-injected evolution, driving in dirt track races in the Kansas City area throughout the 1970s.
“I did some street stock racing at Lakeside Speedway,” Manes said. “I managed to place in the top 10 a few times. I was never exceptionally talented but I knew what I could get away with doing so I never put myself in a bad spot. That’s how you manage to get top-10 finishes at those kinds of tracks.”
In 1976 Manes came to Allen County Community College as an instructor. He immediately became an avid supporter of sports at the school. Once his past as a veteran driver became known, Manes was recruited to serve as one of the backup drivers for teams on road trips.
“At that time Judy Bragg was the women’s volleyball coach and was a short lady,” Manes recalled. “She would have a hard time reaching the pedals in those big vans the school had, so I sometimes would be asked to take the team on trips. It was a lot of fun getting to be around those kids.”
Manes continued to explore the world around him from behind the wheel of a vehicle.
ONE TRIP sticks out in his memory.
In 1984, Manes visited a friend for the summer in Miami, Fla. The pair had a plan; buy a pair of one-way plane tickets from Anchorage, Alaska, to Kansas City. In order to take advantage of the tickets the two vagabonds set out June 24 on a 10,800-mile trek. They had a month to make it.
“We had a great time,” Manes said. “We slept in the van and spent a lot of time just seeing the country. We also went through the Northwest Territory and saw some of the most amazing sights that Western Canada has to offer.”
Along the way, Manes was also able to entertain other hobbies, prospecting for precious metals and studying geology.
“I spent time while we were up there doing a little silver prospecting and also getting to tour the ruins of some of the old gold mines in the Klondike area. I got a real kick out of going through there.”
