Every once in awhile, a story about a local person or business reaches us at The Era, and we have to share it.
Readers may have seen our special section in Tuesday’s edition recognizing some local people and organizations who go above and beyond for others. While we were finishing that up, a Canadian couple reached out to us to compliment and “recognize the exemplary actions” of Brian Vecellio at Bradford Auto Sales.
The kindness of Bradford residents is often noted by others from out of the area, but perhaps none so adamantly as this Canadian couple whose classic car fell victim to a nasty pothole on U.S. Route 219.
The Era was contacted earlier this week by Bill Paul from Toronto, who along with his wife, was traveling in his 1964 Triumph TR4, heading to The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and car show, last Friday.
“We struck a pothole on Route 219, just north of the New York/Pennsylvania border near Limestone,” Paul explained. “There was apparent damage underneath the car, which made it unwise to drive further.
“I phoned AAA to arrange a tow and also obtained the names of several garages in Bradford,” he continued. He started calling garages to see if someone could put the car up on a hydraulic lift to see if it could be fixed.
“I should mention that, at this point, I’m thinking in terms of having my car towed to Toronto and renting a car to return home, both expensive and with complicated issues when crossing the international border,” Paul said.
He was pessimistic at his chances of driving his classic car back home — until he reached Vecellio at Bradford Auto Service. Paul said Vecellio “greeted me, shook my hand and went with me on a short test drive.
“He put (the car) up on a hoist, identified the problem as a broken gearbox mount and then proceeded to fabricate a brace from bar steel, drill two holes and mount the brace across the frame, using nuts and bolts, to support the transmission,” Paul explained.
“I was absolutely flabbergasted and thrilled by his reaction,” Paul said. “He charged me a grand total of $25 — he seemed a little embarrassed by charging me at all. Without him going the extra mile, I would basically have been up the creek in a foreign country.”
The point of Paul’s story, he said, was to recognize someone who really went above and beyond what could be expected to help a stranger.
“Brian’s helpful behavior and demeanor reflects very favorably on your town,” Paul said.
When a reporter pointed out the motto “Cool Town, Warm Hearts,” Paul replied, “You get no argument from me.”
And yet, in true Bradfordian fashion, Vecellio seemed embarrassed by the praise.
“I know that if I was traveling through or someone in my family was, I hope someone would do the same thing for them,” he said. “I just want people to get where they are going safely. I was just doing my job.”
Paul had said he never would have known about Bradford if it weren’t for the pothole, so that cloud held a silver lining.
Vecellio added, “I hope they come back.”
