Mrs. Elsie Davis, bus driver from 1961-1982, meets the new generation of school buses

More than 25 years after she retired as a Lapeer Community Schools bus driver, Mrs. Elsie Davis, 91, returned to the school bus garage for the year-end transportation department pot luck luncheon and was coaxed into sitting behind the wheel of one of the District’s new extended length buses.

It was just a photo opportunity and Mrs. Davis let another District bus driver give her a quick spin in the new bus.

Mrs. Davis began driving for the District about 1961 and retired about 1982 after 21 years of negotiating the rural roads of Lapeer County. At the luncheon, Mrs. Davis showed off a 1977 newspaper article written about her and her co-workers at the bus garage.

As for what Mrs. Davis thinks about the new generation of school buses?

“There’s been a lot of changes,” Mrs. Davis said. “This was a beautiful, long one.”

Among the changes are AM/FM radios, a bus intercom, automatic transmission and no manual door handle.

Mrs. Davis’s husband died in 1999. The couple helped raise 200 foster children.

Region 10 school bus drivers to test their skills at Lapeer West parking lot in May

For the second consecutive year, the Lapeer Community Schools will host the MAPT Region 10, School Bus Driving Championship on Saturday, May 16th, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lapeer West High School.

School bus drivers from Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Huron and Sanilac counties are being invited to the event.

The event involves tight maneuvering and difficult backing on an obstacle course, safety checks and a written test.

It's exciting and interesting to watch the professional drivers weave their way through tight circumstances. Bring a lawn chair and watch.