EDITOR’S NOTE: The Reindeer Gang is an annual Telegraph feature that identifies individuals and families with needs during the holidays. Donations should be made directly to the sponsoring agency, church or charity. Contributions for George Hamlin can be made through Rebuilding Macon, 3864 Lake St., Macon, GA 31204. Phone: (478) 744-9808.
George Hamlin grew up watching his father drive a Trailways bus.
His dad traveled the highways for more than 40 years, passing through small towns and making stops in big cities. He was recognized by the company for his safe driving record, with more than 2 million miles without an accident.
On a summer night four months ago, George must have thought one of his father’s old 12-ton buses had wrecked on top of his roof.
“It sounded like an airplane crash,” he said.
George doesn’t need many visual reminders of the night of July 3. He can simply point to the large, blue tarp where his roof used to be.
It covers the back side of the house his parents built in Bloomfield in the early 1950s.
It was a Sunday evening. He was sitting in his wheelchair in the doorway between his living room and dining room. The stopwatch on “60 Minutes” was ticking down the seconds on the small TV.
“It was raining, and there was a lot of thunder and lightning,’’ he said. “When I heard the loud noise, I was almost scared to go back there and look.”
A huge oak tree his father had planted at the corner of the house in 1959 had snapped off during the storm and smashed through the kitchen.
It left a crater-sized hole in the ceiling. The heavy rain was pouring in.
Soon, Hamlin was bailing water with a bucket from his kitchen floor as if he were inside a sinking boat.
Nineteen weeks have passed since the tree made its unwelcome house call. Hamlin is still dealing with a damaged roof with the cold winds of winter on the way.
Hamlin is 68 years old. He retired in 1995 after 36 years in the grocery business. The year after he retired, doctors had to amputate his left leg because of a blood clot.
He moved back into his parents’ old house on Nisbet Drive. He lives alone and stretches his dollars with his only source of income -- a Social Security check. His sister, Shelby Adams, stops by to help him when she can.
The night the tree fell, Hamlin called his city councilman, Ed DeFore. DeFore contacted a local tree service company that agreed to come out early the next morning, which was the Fourth of July holiday.
Hamlin did not have a homeowners insurance policy. He paid out-of-pocket to have the tree removed. He purchased the tarp and plywood at a local home supply store so he wouldn’t look up and see the stars while fixing his supper every night.
A neighbor has helped with some of the repair work and carpentry, but there is still major work to be done to the kitchen roof, ceiling, walls and windows. The fallen tree also damaged the wheelchair ramp leading to his back door.
With the help of the Reindeer Gang, Rebuilding Macon is seeking donations to repair the damages to Hamlin’s home.
Hamlin is grateful for the assistance. He said he always manages to scrape by and pay his bills, but he admits with this setback he would take a long time to recover.
“I’m the kind of person who would rather be giving than taking,” he said. “If I had any money in the bank, I would go around and share it with others.”
