From the beginning of Soarin’ Hawk, there was Larry. There was no task that he was unwilling to tackle. In the early days, he worked in a hot metal garage in Auburn, constructing cages and rehab boxes. He would only interrupt his construction efforts to rescue or treat a bird. He always made time to rescue the birds; in fact, I think he may have left work a little early at times to save a raptor in crisis.
After the move from Auburn to Leo, Larry plunged into educating himself about the care and treatment of injured birds of prey. Further growth of the group and its activities dictated the need to join the information highway, so Larry eagerly took on the task of creating and maintaining the first Soarin’ Hawk website.
After retirement from the phone company, Larry spent endless hours repairing our facilities, rescuing birds and training new volunteers.
Larry always wore a hat. His head was never bare except once that I know of. Larry had gone to rescue an injured Red-tail. The bird had climbed into a tree well out of reach. Larry tried negotiations, then tried imitating calls, followed by hitting the tree with a stick. All to no avail. Finally, after uttering some well-chosen (unrepeatable) words, Larry whipped off his hat and flung it near the bird. The hawk flushed and Larry picked it up, another success story!
A more amazing story is a lesson for all of us. Late one afternoon, Larry had rescued a concussed Red-tail, placed it in a carrier and set the box behind the passenger seat of his distinct red Dodge pickup. He proceeded in the middle lane with rush hour traffic through Fort Wayne toward Allen Vet Hospital. As he approached Main St. on Clinton, he heard a commotion behind him. The bird had revived and wanted out badly. A moment later, an angry bird was perched on the passenger seat, then the dashboard. In spite of the risky predicament, Larry continued driving through downtown Fort Wayne to the vet’s office, talking softly to the Red-tail and receiving incredulous stares from fellow motorists. Both Larry and the hawk arrived safely.
There are many more memories of Larry. We will certainly miss him. Bob (Pictures by Holly)
