Uncategorized

A great American, with a tool box

This is a story about a plumber, no wise cracks. (Pardon the pun.)

While most of us just stared dumbly at the crazy cold that brought Texas to its knees, turning out the lights and bursting the water pipes, Andrew Mitchell was spurred to action.

Andrew Mitchell loading his pickup truck

He reacted when he saw a call for help from plumbers in the Lone Star State on Facebook.

Because plumbing supplies — such as copper tubes and plastic pipes — had been cleaned out, he loaded his pickup truck with about $2,000 worth of materials, and left for the 22-hour drive from his Morristown, N.J., home to Houston.

Along for the ride was his wife Kisha, their 2-year-old son Blake, and Kisha’s brother Isiah, a college student.

Andrew and Isiah worked from sunup to sundown repairing the plumbing in dozens of homes before running out of the supplies they brought.

Andrew’s odyssey was noticed by some news outlets, and I saw it on NBC.

We are accustomed to stories about first responders leaving home to help others in emergencies. Plumbers parachuting in was new to me and my feeling was that Andrew Mitchell is a great American, proving one person can make a difference.

With help from Google I got the address of his company, Mitchell Plumbing and Heating (which has great customer reviews): 247 Speedwell Ave., Morristown, N.J., 07960. 

I sent him a note, thanking him for not just caring, but acting. You can, too, if you want.

Stu Bykofsky

Recent Posts

A taxing story on Philly’s soda tax

Philadelphia’s seven-year-old soda tax has increased health in the city, but maybe not, according to…

1 day ago

Life in a shelter, from a dog’s point of view

A shelter is about the worst place for a dog, and Philadelphia’s was once one…

6 days ago

No, Americans did not vote for fascism

The post mortem continues, with the Inquirer headlining, in the print edition, a story ,…

2 weeks ago

How can Trump make mass deportation work?

Donald J. Trump has a mandate for action, and if Republicans capture the House, in…

2 weeks ago

Ladies & Gentlemen: You are embarrassing yourselves

As you know, I enjoy spirited debate, and even creative name-calling. The election is over.…

2 weeks ago

Trump’s first appointment seems to troll Mark Cuban

Well, ain’t that something. In what I can’t help seeing as a trolling of Mark…

2 weeks ago