Richard “Dick” Sheldon’s job as head custodian/bus driver for Hilltop Elementary School in Caribou has taken him on a long, rewarding journey with the children he has served. For 43 years Sheldon, who also lives in Caribou, has driven children to and from school and field trips and gained some of his best memories. On Aug. 4, 2017, Sheldon will officially retire, but he’ll always remember the students and teachers that made his work meaningful.
When Sheldon began working for the Caribou School Department in 1974, he had never ridden on or driven a school bus. He previously held two jobs, one at a grocery store and another that involved hauling live chickens to different parts of the state for a poultry company. One day a school bus driver from Caribou came into the grocery store and he and Sheldon started talking. The bus driver made a suggestion.
“He said, ‘Why don’t you come drive a school bus?’ I told him I’d never driven one, but he said, ‘Just try it.’ I was taken out for a ride and soon those little chickens in the coop became my purpose in life,” Sheldon said, referring to the Hilltop students who rode the bus.
Sheldon spent two years driving buses for different schools in the Caribou School Department before committing to Hilltop in 1976. Though he was also the head custodian, Sheldon will miss bus driving the most. He saw numerous children grow up over the years and many of them now have children and grandchildren of their own. He especially enjoyed driving the children to downstate field trips and sports tournaments. To this day Sheldon still catches up with many former and current Hilltop students when he meets them in the community.
“It’s fun to walk through the stores because sometimes I’ll see some of the kids and they’ll say ‘Mr. Sheldon!’ and come running,” Sheldon said. “I just say to their parents that I work at the school and that’s how they know me.”
Sheldon’s retirement comes at a time when Hilltop will soon close its doors due to the building of a new elementary school in Caribou. Aside from the children, some of his best memories come from getting to know the teachers. Between Sheldon and another longtime teacher, who is also retiring this year, they have given 86 years of service to Hilltop. Sheldon always felt a bond between the students, teachers and staff members at the school.
“I’ve worked with some super people over the years. I can’t say anything bad about any of the teachers,” Sheldon said. “I never desired to work anywhere else. It was like a family there.”
Though Sheldon is sad about ending his career at Hilltop, he looks forward to spending more time with his wife Linda. He credits Linda for being supportive of his job even when he had to drive students on downstate trips. After retiring, Sheldon hopes to take more trips to Belfast to attend Tuesday morning alumni breakfasts at Crosby High School, his alma mater.
Sheldon was very close to his classmates while attending elementary and high school. He feels grateful that he was able to raise his two children in Caribou, where they learned good work ethics and formed strong friendships with their peers. Many of his children’s friends were also Hilltop students. He and Linda will miss hearing those students playing on Hilltop’s playground after the school, which is near their home, closes.
“My life has been all about those kids. Being around them kept me younger. They gave me a different perspective than just growing older,” Sheldon said. “It was great to be able to watch them succeed. Win or lose, they’re always great kids.”
