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[Autumnbriar]

BY SCOTT BOYD
[e-mail]
Wanderlust, the urge to just get away, and the longing
for a change of scenery all fi t Bob Skelding’s plans for
this “around the country” trip that brought him through
Macon this week. But, more than anything, Skelding is in
search of something. He’s not exactly sure what it is, but
he says he’ll know it when he sees it.
“I fi gure it’s a good way to just start over,” he says.
Skelding, 49, took off from his native land (New
Hampshire) back
last August and
has since logged
almost 1,800 miles
along with his four
Percheron draft
horses, his sidekick
dog Clementine,
and his homemade
home-away-fromhome
on wheels.
�� See Traveler on Page Two
Travelers pass through
on cross-country trip
Bob Skelding hitches up his team.
Joyce gets a new set of shoes at their campside in Macon early Monday morning.
Doc smiles for the camera.
Tragedy
strikes
travelers ����������
Wagon team involved in
Highway 45 accident
A note to our readers: Even though
we live in a somewhat isolated area, we’re
blessed with many fascinating people to
report on each week - and others who pass
through. In recent years we’ve covered a
Washington man who was running aross
the country, pushing a three-wheeled baby
stroller loaded with his possessions. A
few years later his parents came through
following his path on an adventure of their
own. And, there were the two brothers from
Wisconsin traveling through on their antique
riding lawnmowers, camping and visiting
along the way. So, we weren’t surprised, but
fascinated, when we met Bob Skelding and
his team of draft horses Monday morning
as they prepared to continue their journey
south. We had a great visit with him at his
campsite at Macon Stockyard and prepared
the story and photos at left for this week’s
paper. He had attracted a lot of attention
and we fi gured his story was worth telling.
Now, we’re heartbroken following Tuesday
morning’s tragic accident on Hwy. 45 just
south of Shuqualak. After much thought
we made the decision to continue with our
original plans to publish the story of his
travels. What follows below is what we’ve
been able to fi nd out about the accident.
BY SCOTT BOYD
[e-mail]
Wagon master Bob Skelding and his four
draft horses, just shortly after leaving Noxubee
County Tuesday morning, were involved in a
horrifi c accident with an 18-wheeler just south
of the county line.
According to an eyewitness, Skelding’s rig
was rear-ended by a tractor-tanker-trailer rig
on Hwy. 45 about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The
crash immediately killed two of Skelding’s
prized Percheron draft horses. The other two
miraculously survived and were treated at the
scene and retrieved by DeKalb veterinarian
Billy Calvert.
Skelding’s homemade wagon / camper
disintegrated upon impact with the truck,
scattering debris and all his personal belongings
over a 200-yard area along the southbound lanes
of the highway. That stretch of the highway is
fl at, with no hills.
The 18-wheeler driver was uninjured after
his rig jacknifed and landed in the ditch on the
west side of the highway. He was visibly shaken
as State Troopers questioned him about the
accident. His tanker was reportedly empty at
the time. Another driver with the same trucking
company who was just ahead and saw the
accident in his rear view mirror, said they use
the rigs to transport “drilling mud.”
Skelding was conscious and talking to
paramedics from Transcare Ambulance Service
as he was loaded for transportion to Rush
Hospital in Meridian. He was listed in stable
condition at presstime Tuesday after undergoing
surgery for broken bones.
Skelding, 49, left his home in New Hampshire
last August on his “dream trip” to travel around
the country, with his horses leading the way. Also
along for the ride was Clementine, his 18-yearold
poodle. Clementine was uninjured. They had
logged nearly 1,800 accident-free miles before
Tuesday’s crash.
The skies were overcast at the time of the
accident and a light rain had just started in the
area.
Skelding had camped near Shuqualak Monday
night and was making his way toward Meridian.
His wagon rig had fl ashing lights on the rear and
a refl ective triangle to warn approaching traffi c.
��See Travelers’ tragedy on Page Three
Brooksville’s race for the
fi ve aldermen seats is becoming
crowded. Five new candidates
have joined the race during the
past.
All fi ve of the candidates
are making their fi rst run for
offi ce, including Noxubee High
basketball coach A.E. Williams,
a lifelong Brooksville resident.
Joining Williams in fi ling
qualifying papers this week
are Wanda Clemons, Mary
Conner, Derrick Robinson, and
Milton Tate. They join previous
qualifi ers – incumbents
Eric Dooley, Freda Phillips,
Nathanial Smith, and Coretta
Stockett, along with James
Bridges, David Boswell, and
Curtis Bush.
Brooksville doesn’t have
political subdivisions and all
aldermen must for for at-large
seats. The top two vote-getters
will win the seats. The only
other incumbent aldermen, T.J.
Wilkins, hasn’t qualifi ed for
re-election.
So far there are only two
candidates for mayor –
incumbent Tammie Holmes and
challenger R.L. Wells.
Candidates have until March
6 to fi le qualifying papers
in Macon, Brooksville and
Shuqualak.
There were no new qualifi ers
at Macon and Shuqualak during
the past week.
Five candidates
join crowded
Brooksville race
Noxubee County has fi nally
dropped from the bottom of the
state’s unemployment list.
Noxubee’s 15.4 percent
joblessness in December
moved the county up one
from the bottom. Only one
of Mississippi’s 82 counties
have jobless rates higher than
Noxubee’s – Holmes at 16.8
percent. Tunica is tied with
Noxubee at 15.4.
The December rate, however,
marked a signifi cant jump in
the county’s unemployment
– up from November’s 14.9
percent, according to a report
recently published by the
Mississippi Department of
Employment Security. The
report shows there were 700
people unemployed from
Noxubee’s workforce of 4,540
in December.
Noxubee’s unemployment
has averaged more than 12
percent over the past 12
months.
Mississippi’s jobless rate
increased sharply from
November to December – up
from 7.6 percent from 6.6
percent.
For comparison, Noxubee
County’s neighboring counties
experienced these jobless rates
in December: Lowndes 8.1,
Winston 9.6, Neshoba 6.2,
Kemper 9.8, Oktibbeha 6.2,
and Clay 12.4.
Jobless rate here
climbs even higher
YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE AT:
Citizens National Bank
“Bob Skelding/Wagon Teamster Benefi t Fund”
P. O. Box 426, Macon, MS 39341
[phone] www.yourcnb.com
A local benefi t fund has been established to help Bob Skelding pay for
his medical expenses and the care and recovery of his surviving horses.

[HaflingerFolks]

Do you have the link to this story? I'd love to see it with the pictures. Thanks!

[nwsgrl]

Send your email address and request to [e-mail] and they can send you a pdf file of the story with pics or mail you a copy of the paper. They do not have a website.

[nwsgrl]

BY SCOTT BOYD
[e-mail]

Wagonmaster Bob Skelding continues to improve, but he faces a long road to recovery, according to his family members who have traveled to Meridian to visit him at Rush Hospital.
Skelding, 49, was critically injured in a tragic accident Feb. 10 on Hwy. 45 near the Noxubee-Kemper County line. Two of his prized Percheron draft horses, Dollie and DeeDee, were killed when Skelding’s horse-drawn camper/wagon was rear-ended by a 18-wheeler. Skelding was traveling about three miles an hour as he headed south. The T.K. Stanley tanker truck was traveling between 65 and 70 miles per hour, authorities have estimated.
Skelding, who left his New Hampshire home last August, suffered numerous injuries after being thrown from his rig as it exploded under the impact of the semi rig. He continues to be listed in critical but stable condition according to sister Cathy f*gan of North Carolina. f*gan wouldn’t go into the specifics of her brother’s injuries, but said he’s being treated in the intensive care unit of the hospital and has been removed from a ventilator. Only close family members are allowed short visits.
Skelding’s two surviving horses, Doc and Joyce, are recuperating under the care of DeKalb veterinarian Dr. Billy Calvert. The pair, who were the right-hand side of the team, suffered lacerations in the crash, but are in great condition, considering the accident, Dr. Calvert said.
Skelding, who was already drawing nationwide attention for his “dream” trip around the country, has been the subject of thousands of well-wishers who have left messages on his website after hearing about the accident. Writers are offering monetary donations, boarding for Joyce and Doc, help for building a new wagon, and simple “get well soon” wishes. A benefit fund to help Skelding has been set up at the Macon branch of Citizens National Bank and bank officials say there’s been a lot of interest from around the country.
V.C. Manning of Philadelphia was at Dr. Calvert’s office Monday checking on the horses. A retired Neshoba County Supt. of Education, Manning was headed back to Philadelphia after visiting property he owns on the Noxubee River when he came upon the accident. “My heart went out for those horses,” said Manning, who added that he’s taken a personal interest in the case. Manning said he was angered by a report in the Meridian paper that followed the accident. “That story described the wreck happening after the 18-wheeler came over a hill and I knew that wasn’t the case,” he said. “I went back out there and measured the closest hill to the wreck site and it was exactly six-tenths of a mile away,” he said. “There’s no way the hill had anything to do with the accident,” Manning said.
A pile of debris from the crash remained on the shoulder of the road at the wreck scene Monday, not far from where Dollie and DeeDee were buried on property owned by Al Cade of Wahalak. Cade, who has written a poem about Skelding, said he came upon the wreck shortly after it happened and offered his nearby property to workers from the Mississippi Department of Transportation as a place to bury the horses.
The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, in an initial accident report released Tuesday, said the T.K. Stanley truck driver caused the accident when he failed to yield, but added that because a truck in front of him blocked his view of Skelding’s rig, the wreck was “unavoidable.” The Highway Patrol is refusing to identify the truck driver, who reportedly is from the Caledonia area. (2/19/09)

[nwsgrl]

BY SCOTT BOYD
[e-mail]

Wagonmaster Bob Skelding, the New Hampshire man injured in a crash near the Noxubee-Kemper line last month, has been released from a Meridian hospital and is now recuperating at his sister’s home in Hickory, N.C.
Skelding’s story has garnered national attention since he left his home last August with his homemade wagon/RV pulled by his four prized Percheron horses. He had made it 1,800 accident-free miles when an 18-wheeler crashed into the rear of his rig on Hwy. 45 near Wahalak on Feb. 10. Two of his horses were killed on impact and Skelding spent almost two weeks in the critical care unit of Rush Hospital. The two surviving horses are in great shape and under the continuing care of DeKalb veterinarian Dr. Billy Calvert.
A benefit fund was established in Macon at Citizens National Bank in Macon and donations continue to come in from around the country, according to Citizens President Diane Hankins. Hankins joined Macon businesswoman Tracy Skinner last Thursday and visited Skelding at Rush and presented him with check from a bulk of the proceeds.
The remainder of the money from the fund will be forwarded after the fund closes, Hankins said. Skinner was instrumental in helping start the fund with Hankins’ help after calls offering to help starting pouring in from around the country.
Moving slowly and walking with the aid of a cane, Skelding, 49, was in good spirits last Thursday as he made preparations for his release on Friday. He left Saturday morning with one of his sisters enroute to her home in Hickory. He said he feels much better and added that his doctors have told him he can expect a slow, but complete recovery. He said his injuries included a couple of broken neck vertebrae, a dozen broken ribs, a broken shoulder, and a broken collar bone.
Skelding said his surviving horses, Doc and Joyce, will be transported to his sister’s farm in North Carolina, probably in April.
He posted a note on his website after arriving in North Carolina last weekend and thanked everyone who had contributed in any way to his recovery. “I’m currently at my sister’s house in Hickory, N.C. This is a great place to knit some bones, do some healing, then build a new wagon and get it on the road.” He has also been reunited with Clementine, his 18-year old poodle who also survived the crash and is “doing great.” (3-05-09)

[nwsgrl]

BY SCOTT BOYD
[e-mail]

Bob Skelding is moving a little slow these days, but he picked up the pace a bit Monday when he arrived in DeKalb to retrieve his prized Percheron horses, Doc and Joyce.
Skelding is familiar to Beacon readers who followed his journey through Noxubee County – and then the devastating accident just south of the county line back in February after an 18-wheeler flattened his rig and killed two of his horses.
Skelding, who had been on a cross-county trek with his homemade wagon towed by his four Percherons, is slowly mending but itching to get back on the road again.
With help from a man who had followed his journey through his internet journal postings, Skelding arrived in DeKalb Monday where Doc and Joyce had been recuperating under the care of Dr. Billy Calvert.
“I hate to see them go, but this is the day I’ve been waiting for,” said Dr. Calvert, who helped Skelding and Les Riddle load the pair into a horse trailer. Both had serious lacerations, said Dr. Calvert, who added that he was worried about them for the first few days after the accident. “They’re doing great now,” he said.
After spending the night in Macon Monday at Mike Banks’ Easy Street, Skelding, Riddle, and the horses left for Indiana where plans are to build a new wagon and hitch it to a new team of draft horses.
Riddle, of LeRoy, Ill., is a Percheron breeder who took an interest in Skelding’s trip shortly after it began from his native New Hampshire last year. “He’s doing something I would love to do,” said Riddle.
“Doc and Joyce are headed to retirement,” said Skelding who said he’s made tentative arrangements for their future. “Both need more time to completely heal,” he said.
Skelding also took time Monday for a visit to the Kemper County Sheriff’s Department where they were storing his personal effects and horse tack that were salvaged from the crash site on Hwy. 45 near Wahalak. “They had saved a lot of the gear that I used to hitch the team together and other things that weren’t totally destroyed,” he said.
Skelding’s story was drawing national attention even before the accident, but he’s gained celebrity status now, as evidenced by the lunch diners at Trailboss in Macon who stopped by his table to speak after recognizing him. He’s had numerous offers to help him continue with his journey and has accepted one from an Indiana family who is providing him an apartment and a shop to rebuild his wagon. “It will be similar to my old wagon, but different,” he said. “The frame will basically be the same, but I’m planning to mount a pickup-style camper on the frame and build around that.”
He hopes to be on the road with a new team of horses by mid-June. He’s already made plans to be among the exhibits at the famed Horse Progress Days at Odon, Indiana over the July Fourth weekend. He hasn’t selected a new team of horses yet, but says it shouldn’t be hard to find them. “We’ll be ready to roll soon,” he said as he visited with the staff at Macon’s Citizens National Bank where they’ve accepted the hundreds of cards and letters and donations that have been arriving to the “Bob Skelding Fund” since a few days after the accident.
Skelding, who spent more than two weeks at Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, has been in North Carolina since late February, healing at his sister’s home. “I’m much better, but still having problems with my shoulder and collarbone,” he said.
Skelding says he has no recollection of the accident. “I remember leaving Shuqualak that morning and remember heading south on Hwy. 45, but nothing after that,” he says.
Skelding’s poodle Clementine, who also survived the crash, is doing great, Skelding says.
“You look great,” said Citizens President Diane Hankins. To which Skelding replied, “What did you expect – did you think I’d look like I’ve been run over by a truck?” (4/09/09)


The Bob Skelding Fund remains open at Citizens National Bank to help him pay for his medical expenses, care of his surviving horses, and to rebuild and equip a new wagon and team of horses for his future journeys. If you would like to contribute, mail your donations to: Citizens National Bank, P.O. Box 426, Macon, MS 39341


Doc, Skelding, Calvert & Joyce

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