Call the Mechanic

   As I drove home this afternoon, I passed a John Ray tanker truck being towed on Route 67. It caused me to wonder if there are any mechanics who do road service. I thought of Herman Schroder who was chief mechanic at Colony Liquor in Kingston, NY. He was the one to call if there was a problem with any of their fleet of delivery trucks.
   It was in late November in 1977 when Herman received such a call, on a chilly night, past supper time. He set out to the disabled truck which had broken down near Newburgh, got it running, and left in his own vehicle to drive home. The repaired truck was behind him. The driver saw Herman pull over and cut his engine. And that was the end of his life, at the age of 69.