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Virginia Oliver

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Jefferson County Public Schools

The moment that bus driver Larry Farrish Jr. pulled up to one of his morning stops in Louisville, he knew something was amiss with one of his elementary school passengers.

“He was sitting by himself with his hood over his head, and he never does that,” Farrish recalled of that morning, Feb. 9.

“Normally, he’s so happy, and he’s out there waving me in like I’m parking an airplane,” he said. “So it was obvious to me that something was wrong.”

The child, a first-grader named Levi, was in tears as he climbed aboard the school bus.

“I asked him, ‘Hey, buddy, what’s wrong?’ and he told me he didn’t have any pajamas for pajama day,” Farrish said. “His school was having a special day where kids could wear their pajamas all day.”

Levi made his way to a seat, and Farrish checked his rearview mirror to keep an eye on Levi for the rest of the bus ride, he said.

“I saw Levi sitting back there alone, away from his friends, and there was no question what I was going to do,” he said, adding, “I didn’t want him to miss out on pajama day.”

After he dropped off Levi and about 40 other students at Engelhard Elementary School, Farrish decided to run a quick errand. He drove to a nearby Family Dollar store to pick out some new pajamas for Levi.

“I bought two pairs that I thought were his size — a brown and white pair with footballs and basketballs, and a fleecy gray pair of bottoms with a gray, white and blue top,” said Farrish, 35.

“Levi has five siblings at home, so if he didn’t need two pairs, I figured somebody else in the family could use them,” he said.

Farrish took the pajamas over to the school and went into the front office to explain to an office assistant that he was Levi’s bus driver, and what had happened that morning.

“She called for Levi [to come to the office] and when he came down the hallway and saw me, his face lit up,” he said. “He said, ‘Hey, you’re my bus driver!’”

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Farrish said he told him, ‘Hey, little man, I’ve got some pajamas here for you — would you like to try them on in class?’”

“He was just glowing, he was so happy,” he said. “He gave me a hug, then he walked back to class, hugging those pajamas. I was in tears.”

School principal Ryan McCoy said he wasn’t surprised to learn about Farrish’s sweet gesture.

“Mr. Larry is a great person and bus driver who truly cares about the students he drives and intentionally builds relationships with them,” he said. “The smile on Levi’s face when Mr. Larry showed up at school with the pajamas says it all.”

Jefferson County Public Schools posted about <a href="https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/departments/communications/monday-memo/jcps-bus-driver%E2%80%99s-kind-gesture-turns-student%E2%80%99s-bad-day-around?fbclid=IwAR1lFBmw6BRvP5SbL_PMhs38IeHmKvlKHuJUxG8t-0L-AtN4YNMsCJ5UI0E" target=_blank>Farrish’s pajama day kindness</a> on its website, then made a post on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JCPSKY/posts/pfbid0hg8xu468S4gobM3jbhiS7GneuGfUKRM2G5ReeQcEtrdBy3UJJKUuCaV1g3YR4uKTl" target=_blank>Facebook</a>, prompting hundreds of comments, including from former students:

“Mr. Larry is the absolute best. We were blessed with him as our driver for 4 years. Top notch human,” someone commented.

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Farrish said he never expected to love his job as much as he does. He was a truck driver before he took the job driving a school bus seven years ago, he said.

“I love talking to the kids and encouraging them,” he said. “I probably learn as much from them as they do from me. They help keep me young.”

He and Levi often greet each other with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpLXI4w2nuc" target=_blank>Spider-Man’s three-finger signature gesture</a> — the sign the superhero uses when he shoots web silk from his hands, Farrish said.

“I don’t have kids, so I enjoy interacting with Levi and the other kids on the bus and hearing about what’s going on in their day,” he said. “My job is to get them to school safe, but I also hope I have a small impact on their lives.”

On the Jefferson County Public Schools website, Levi is quoted saying he “did a happy cry” when Farrish brought him the pajamas. “I can tell Mr. Larry is nice and his heart is filled with joy,” he said.

Levi’s mother asked not to be identified by The Washington Post and also declined to be interviewed, but Farrish said she is a single mom who was thankful for what he had done for her son. School officials said she gave permission to have photos of Levi released to the media for this story.

Farrish said he is planning to accompany Levi’s mother and her family on a shopping spree for new clothing this weekend, courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/southendstreetangels" target=_blank>Southend Street Angels</a>. The Louisville nonprofit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/southendstreetangels/posts/pfbid0sQ6j8sBQNeGBSTQ8fdfj44nETN1Rsy3GAiySK9ugQgG3NMPgVimFMDJiBVqEfijGl" target=_blank>raised almost $600</a> in donations from the public for Levi and his siblings. The group’s founder saw the school district’s Facebook post about the pajamas and wanted to offer something special for the family, Farrish said.

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He said Levi’s mom told him that the washing machine and dryer in her apartment building was broken.

“I asked her if Levi had forgotten his pajamas that day, and she just said it was hard to keep everyone’s clothes clean,” Farrish said. “The reason doesn’t matter to me, because I was happy to help.”

“The outpouring of support has been overwhelming,” he added. “I’m just a bus driver — I did this as a simple thing because I’m passionate about my job. I believe every kid should have pajamas for pajama day.”

Cathy Free is a human interest reporter who specializes in stories of humanity. She has written for The Washington Post's Inspired Life section since 2018. 

Cathy Free

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Bus driver steps up for boy who didn’t have pajamas for Pajama Day

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