Upbeat
humanity

Ten years, one bench, one thumbs-up: the 78-year-old who greets his whole town

George Doxtader is 78, survived two major strokes 35 years ago, lives with right-side paralysis and speaks with difficulty. And for ten years, he has sat on a bench at State and Main in Eaton Rapids, Michigan — often starting at 4 a.m. — giving a daily thumbs-up to every passing driver. With his left hand, he crochets blankets and pictures. His friend Kurt Norgaard and gerontologist Sam Cradduck, host of 'Aging Untold', describe what the ritual does to the town: a small daily jolt of being seen. A man who lost so much, and still gives light to strangers every single day.

The upbeat factorthe quietest giving is sometimes the greatest.
✓ Verified · Rockford News First · 2026-10-05 · USA
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