Who is the infamous “San Diego Highwayman”?
Apparently, since as far back as 1966, this guy has served as a road savior to countless stranded drivers along San Diego freeways. When he spots a broken down vehicle, he pulls over his 1955 Ford Station Wagon, and offers to help them out however he can. What does he charge for these services? Nothing. It goes back to an accident that Thomas Weller was in when he was only 16. Stuck in a snowbank, you can imagine the frustration and desperation a 16-year-old new driver would feel. Another driver pulled over, helped Weller out and refused to take Weller’s money.
Ever since that day, Weller has been paying it forward and then some. The Highwayman has gone out of his way on a regular basis to help out as many broken down folks as he can. He doesn’t take any pay, but he does give out a card. It reads, “”Assisting you has been my pleasure. Pass on the favor by helping someone in distress that you may encounter.” In 2011 his wagon fell victim to an accident. The “Beulah” as he calls his beloved old Ford, was totaled. It was almost as if a friend had passed away, according to Weller.
Well, with the age of the internet and the rise of crowd funding, a documentary filmmaker doing a piece on The Highwayman, set up a GoFundMe page. It took a few months, but Beulah was looking like it would rise again. Ten grand was raised. Then a man heard Weller’s story on the radio and offered to fix the beloved Beulah with money out of his own pocket. He spent over 18 grand and brought Beulah back to life. See how it all went down in this inspiring, pay it forward based video!
