Joseph Lamar Wells, Sr.
(March 9, 1935 - December 21, 2011)
The Craddock Center will miss you, Joe.
Below is taken from an article in the Milk and Honey, April 2007.
For those of you who may not know, the man in the yellow hat is Curious George’s best friend. I want you to know a little bit about a man in a yellow hat who is one of the Center’s best friends.
He has regularly volunteered with The Craddock Center for about three years. Without him, our furniture outreach program would not be possible, for he is the one who drives to people’s homes to pick up sofas, chairs, appliances – you name it – and puts them in our storage facility until someone has a need for them. Once, he went to an elderly man’s home (which he quips was a man older than he) to pick up a donated sofa; the two of them struggled to get it down the stairs, destroyed the landscaping, and just barely managed to get the sofa onto the truck. He maintains an inventory of these donated goods, and when we receive a call for help, he meets those in need at the storage facility so they may receive their items. Occasionally, he delivers furniture to peoples’ homes, if they need special assistance.
Also for the past three years, the man in the yellow hat weekly reads Curious George stories to the Pre-K and Head Start children in Fannin County. Sometimes he even wears his yellow suit, complete with a yellow hat. The children he serves shower him with love. “You get attached to them”, he says. “It’s hard to explain.” Service has been central to his life. He spent 35 years as a civil service employee for the City of Atlanta, and 25 years in the active Army/Reserves. True to his nature, when I asked him if I could spotlight his volunteer efforts, he agreed, but said at least three or four times that he didn’t want it to seem like he was bragging. Says he, “I don’t want to be in the limelight.” He also reminded me that in the Curious George stories, the man in the yellow hat doesn’t have a name…
He is witty, and grounded in faith, a true servant of God. When asked why he volunteers, he replied that he wants to be useful; feeling useful is an incentive for him to get out of bed in the morning. While retiring to a rocking chair on the front porch may sound good to some folks, it’s not good for him. “I’d rather wear out than rust out,” he says. He once heard a preacher say that in life you need three things: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for. He agrees. He says, “when you leave this life, people won’t remember how much money you had, but rather what you did, and how you loved. Your name and your character are what you have.”
When asked what folks might be surprised to learn about him, he said, “I’m just ordinary Joe”. I challenge that comment, for he isn’t ordinary, but rather extraordinary, Joe Wells, the man in the yellow hat, and we are grateful for his humble and faithful service. - TRS