Uncle Manny, 80, still rides his bike to work every day
Apr 15, 2015, 6:21 PM | Updated: Apr 16, 2015, 7:07 am
Manny poses with his bicycle, looking younger than his 80 years. (KIRO Radio/Rachel Belle)
(KIRO Radio/Rachel Belle)
Manny Hanowell, 80, rides his bike to work every day.
“Ever since I’ve been here and that’s been 22 years. Rain or shine,” he said.
“Here” is Seattle City Light, where Manny works full time as an electrical engineer. His daily bike commute is seven miles round-trip.
“This one on the end is mine,” Manny said, pointing to a red Schwinn in the bike rack. “It’s just an old junker.”
Manny’s bike is often the only one in the bike rack. In his spare time, he buys cheap bikes from thrift stores, fixes them up and gives them away.
“It’s fun. I ride for fun because I enjoy riding. I’ve always ridden a bike a lot. I was born and raised in Nooksack, in Whatcom County, near the Canadian border. When I was a kid, I used to ride from there up into Canada to the Fraser River and I would try to get my buddies to go with me. Nobody would ride with me, so I just did it by myself.”
At 80 years old, I wondered why Manny continues to go to work every day.
“I just don’t know what else I would do. I enjoy working, I enjoy the people, I like the ethnic diversity of City Light. I just enjoy everybody here. To me, it’s a game. I get to ride my bike here and get paid for it to boot!”
Manny is also a ham radio operator and for years, he sang in barber shop quartets. When I tried to get in touch with him, I discovered he doesn’t have an answering machine. He said he’s just a bit old fashioned.
“To me, life gets down to the basics. I think the more we go back to the basics of doing whatever we do, the better off we are. When I see all these young people, and now even middle aged people, walking around with their cell phones, totally out of everything that’s around them, I think of what they’re missing. On the bicycle I see everything that’s happening and enjoy people and the outdoors. Stop and talk to people – don’t have to know them.”
If Manny can do it, maybe you can do it too. May 15 is Bike to Work Day, so that gives you exactly a month to tune up or you bike, buy a brand new one, or do what Manny does: pick up a junker from the thrift store and fix it up yourself.
