Frank Fuller, a retired John Deere dealer, gave Age to Age Preschool students a ride to remember Tuesday afternoon at Windsor Place.
The students lined up to ride in a brand new John Deere tractor, and even drive the machine themselves — with Fuller’s hand on the controls, of course.
“I’ll have more fun than the students will,” Fuller joked on Tuesday afternoon. The clear fall skies offered a perfect setting for the pre-schoolers to take a spin around the field east of Windsor Place. This is the second year Fuller has had the chance to bring a tractor out to the preschool.
Heather Wools, a teacher with Age to Age, contacted Fuller to teach an agriculture class to the students last year. Afterward, he offered to bring a tractor out for the students to test drive. And, courtesy of O’Malley Equipment’s Dave Lalman, Fuller had a brand new tractor to offer the children.
Fuller, whose wife, Jan, is a resident at Windsor Place, said he fully believes in the preschool program.
“I call them (the teachers) miracle workers with the kids,” Fuller said. “This whole program is a win-win.”
Several residents at Windsor Place, including “Grandpa Marion” (a life-long farmer), watched the children’s eyes light up as they took the wheel of the giant machine, if only for a brief moment. Fuller always gives the children a chance to steer, so he can tell them “they drove the tractor.”
A RIDE TO REMEMBER
