Acts Of Kindness
updated: Feb 19, 2013, 12:20 PM

By Neal Graffy

This edhatter would like to shout out a big "Thank You" to an unknown young man in a pickup truck.

Unbeknowst to myself, the hubcap on my 1941 Packard fell off, rolled across State Street and came to rest in the foliage surrounding the Whole Foods sign. The unidentified gentleman followed me down State and caught up to me at the light at the de la Vina "Y" and told me of the parting of the ways between my car and the hubcap. I pulled into the BevMo parking lot to turn around and though I thought he had continued down State he instead turned around and came into the lot to tell me exactly where the hubcap had landed. And with that, before I could catch his name and thank him properly, like the Lone Ranger, he quickly mounted his steed and was off.

I'll never know who the unmasked man was, but he sure saved my day. Thank you Lone Stranger!

Send this picture as a postcard

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Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 376174	2013-02-19 12:29 PM
Thank you for reminding us there are still people who care out there. It is easy to forget sometimes.
SBSRFR	2013-02-19 12:44 PM
Awesome act of kindness!
COMMENT 376190	2013-02-19 01:01 PM
Thanks - there is kindness out there - not everyone is stuck in self involved oaf mode.
COMMENT 376204P	2013-02-19 01:33 PM
I find more of this kind of thing than not in and around Santa Barbara. Thanks for posting Mr. Graffy. I hope the young man reads edhat and sees it.
COMMENT 376208P	2013-02-19 01:42 PM
Nice hubcap and posting.
COMMENT 376234	2013-02-19 02:21 PM
now these are the edhat post that I love to read ! Thanks for sharing!
COMMENT 376251	2013-02-19 02:58 PM
I'd like to add one. Last Tuesday I was attacked by a vicious dog and a city worker came over to make sure I was o.k. The dog also ran after a man with a baby carriage and he chased the dog so that the man could get away. He took pictures of the dog and car that he broke out of .He stayed and gave a full account to Animal Control. Doug, you are a Great Samaritian! Thanks, again!
COMMENT 376268	2013-02-19 03:47 PM
Great story! (stories)
NATURE BOY	2013-02-19 05:37 PM
Excellent! I would've done the same thing as that guy did. It feels so good to take a few minutes out of your day to help someone else. Pay it forward!
COMMENT 376359	2013-02-19 07:07 PM
precious...
COMMENT 376432P	2013-02-19 11:06 PM
great hubcap--'twould be a shame to lose it.
COMMENT 376435P	2013-02-20 12:31 AM
Hey. I have a whole crate of those hubcaps in my basement. What's the big deal? (JK) There are some nice, nice people in SB. Good job, unmasked man.
RONNIEB	2013-02-20 06:31 AM
In the mid-40s my parents had a very cool 12 cylinder four-door Packard convertible. We had a St. Bernard and he loved to get in the back where the top went if it was down--a perfect fit! I wonder what kind of mileage that car got. We lived in Hope Ranch Annex and went to school in San Roque, where we finally moved so that we could ride our bikes or walk to school instead of going back and forth in that gas-guzzler.
FLICKA	2013-02-20 07:33 AM
Wonderful, Neal. Thanks for sharing your experience, hope the "unmasked Ranger" sees this. It's a nice counter-post to all the comments here about how unfriendly/uncaring everyone in Santa Barbara is. We know it's not true!
SBJULES	2013-02-20 07:42 AM
Cool Hub cap! Glad you still have it!
ASW	2013-02-20 08:00 AM
Fab car and nice story. Thanks.
MYOPINION	2013-02-20 08:31 AM
Nice people rock!
COMMENT 376483	2013-02-20 08:36 AM
Pay it forward my friend.
TOTCH	2013-02-20 08:39 AM
If each of us do a random act of kindness when the opportunity arises maybe the world would get used to it. Just a smile at someone in thegrocery store could make a difference in their day! Let's all go out and try it.
COMMENT 376500	2013-02-20 09:02 AM
What Neal fails to mention is that particular hub cap came off of the Packard that Stanley McCormick's wife Katharine Dexter McCormick owned when Stanley was confined for the most part to the huge Riven Rock estate. A unique hub cap indeed! I have always thought that it is amazing the Stanley and his older brother Harold, who was Madame Ganna Walska's 4th husband lived at one time virtually across the street from Lotusland where Ganna and her 6th husband Theos Bernard originally purchased "Tibetland", later renamed Lotusland when Ganna gave up men...
CHERIDIANE	2013-02-20 09:43 AM
Loved reading this well written story of SB kindness. Thank you, Neal. A big HONK of gratitude for that pickup truck driver.
COMMENT 376564	2013-02-20 10:40 AM
YAY! Thanks for sharing your story... :-)
KATYDID	2013-02-20 11:28 AM
I love it when that happens! Hi-ho, Lone Stranger!
COMMENT 376974	2013-02-21 07:30 AM
OK Neal, now be kind to all of us and post a few photos of the entire car. What a treasure!

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