Anyone Know What Happened to Don?
I used to live in the Beltline for a number of years a few years back and there was a homeless gentleman named Don, who each day would walk the length of 17th Ave. I chatted with him fairly often over the years and learned a bit about him and how he ended up in Calgary and would try to buy him a meal or pack of smokes when I ran into him, particularly during the cold months. He was always super gracious, very gentle and would not accept any cash on the couple occasions I tried to give him some. I believe he also had a number of other people that looked out for him because I would sometimes see police officers or community outreach personnel buying him a coffee or meal and chatting with him.
He was very hard to miss because he moved very slowly and used a pair of crutches to get around, often taking several sets of lights to cross any of the streets along his route. He had also mentioned that his mobility had been greatly reduced over the years and that he no longer was able to cover the same distance in a day that he used to be able to, which previously was the full length of 17th Ave from 14th Street down to McLeod Trail and back.
After moving out of the Beltline about two and a half years ago, I obviously didn't see him as much but would still try to keep my eyes open for him whenever I drove around the area. I would see him here and there up until this past year when I stopped seeing him around altogether. It may be a bit of a longshot but I was just curious to know if anyone on here who lives or drives in the area has seen him around recently or if anyone happens to know if something happened to him.
|
