At 82 years of age, the announcement of retirement is not necessarily huge news. For Sheddrick “Sonny” Donaldson, it is not his first retirement, or his second. And, honestly, it may not be his last.

 

Before we get to all of that, a little bit of the present is in order. Sonny, as nearly everyone calls him, retired from Harry Green Chevrolet Nissan on Dec. 30. Since 2004, Donaldson has been the courtesy driver for Harry Green, as well as the one who did plenty of other odds and ends.

 

However, it was his role as the courtesy driver that took the already beloved and vibrant Bridgeport community member into one who became beloved by just about everyone he encountered.

 

“I’ve driven thousands and thousands of people, every bit of that,” Donaldson said with a laugh, “and I’ve enjoyed just about every second of it.”

 

It is probably safe to say not only has just about every person with him enjoyed it as well, he has likely delivered thousands of smiles as well.

 

If ever there was a person designed on the personality front to be in a position to be a courtesy driver, it was Donaldson. Understand, most people he is picking up or dropping off are in the position of needing repairs done to their cars and being without their mode of transportation. In a lot of cases, an individual facing the cost of repair, the unknown cost of repair, the unknown or even known time period of being without a vehicle is cause for angst.

 

Enter Sonny.

 

“When they came into the van, you could sometimes see they were stressed by the situation,” said Donaldson. “My goal was that I wanted to make sure they had a smile on their face when they got out of the vehicle. I wanted to make sure if they were heated up over whatever situation they might be in, that you might say it was important for me to get that temperature to drop.”

 

I can personally say I was one of those individuals. Although I knew Sonny Donaldson from way back in the 1990s when his daughter Angela played basketball for Bridgeport High School, we picked up conversation like I had been sitting by him a game the night before.

 

The conversation ramped up even further when I told him he was in school at Washington Irving at the same time as my mother and that they were part of a Hilltopper group that meets twice a month for breakfast. Honestly, the trip from my home to Harry Green was far too quick. When I got out and told the woman in the service department that it was great riding with Sonny, she smiled and, I’m paraphrasing here, “We hear that from just about everyone. He’s the most popular person here.”

 

That is not even a slight to anyone else working there. He is that popular. It is why he has been able to retire now three times.

 

In December of 1992, after 32 and a half years with what was then Bell Atlantic (now Frontier), Donaldson was able to retire. He then started a month later in the sales department at Harry Green and a friend of Sonny’s, Cliff Harris, told Harry and Hal Green about him.

 

“I didn’t even put in an application. They hired me and I went to work on Jan. 25 of 1993,” said Donaldson. “I know it was a quick turnaround, but we had two girls (both BHS graduates) going to college and I figured I needed some extra cash, which helped out tremendously.”

 

Apparently, it helped out Harry Green’s business too. When he retired in 2004, he said that Harry Green asked him “to adopt a few more girls and put them through school” so he would stay around. While he did not stay around the sales department, he did stay at the business.

 

In 2004, Sonny began his role as the courtesy van driver for Harry Green. Until the end of last month, that was his job – even though he had cut back on the hours he had worked.

 

“I would pick up people and drop them off all over. The biggest place was at home, but a lot of times I would drop someone of so they could shop,” said Donaldson. “Wherever they needed to go or get picked up from is where I went.”

 

He also drove for the dealership. He said would go to the courthouse to pay taxes, do business at the DMV, pick up supplies at Staples, or take care of business needing to be done at the car auction. As much as he liked doing that, he knew he needed to cut back a little.

 

“It got to a place where I would drive just the last two weeks of each month,” Sonny said. 

 

It was here when the modest and easy-going Sonny Donaldson got a full dose of how much people enjoyed his company.

 

“I found out when I changed my schedule that some of the people who I drove regularly would change their maintenance schedules so I could drive them,” he said. “That really made my day.”

 

Donaldson seems to make a lot of people’s day. The 1958 WI graduate is a people person’s people person. If that is not a phrase, it is one that was meant for Sonny Donaldson who believes he got his personality, sense of humor, and general goodness from his late mother, Mary Donaldson, who lived to be 92.

 

“She was a beautician and if you came into her shop, she would have you laughing,” said Sonny. “I got most of my traits from her because my father died when I was eight and a half years old, and she raised my brother and me.

 

“Without a father around, I learned by watching how she dealt with people. When my brother passed away, I can still remember her at the funeral,” he continued. “She was telling stories about my brother and the supervisors were practically on the floor laughing. She just had a way to put people at ease, which is a trait I’m sure I got from her.”

 

One thing he got from his father was the nickname. If it did not come directly from his father, it came because of him. With his dad also having the first name Sheddrick, he got dubbed “Sonny” to avoid any confusion.

 

“It was determined we couldn’t have two Sheddrick’s running around,” he said laughing.

 

Whatever his mother did during her 92 years and whatever his father did during his limited years with his son worked. They left Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Harrison County, and the area an absolute treasure of a human being. And not just on the work front.

 

My mother let me know that Sonny Donaldson makes sure if anyone needs a ride or help getting to their twice-monthly breakfast gatherings he will get them. And that includes those with no cars or car issues, or those with health conditions that require assistance. He also is the “go to” when someone needs to get a hold of someone. My mother informs me he has everyone’s phone number on his cell phone.

 

“I’ve always enjoyed a good crowd of people and if someone can’t be part of their crowd and I can get them to part of it, I’m going to get them there,” he said. “The bigger the group the better. We’re all getting a little older, our numbers are dropping a bit, so I want to see as many people as possible and have a good time.”

 

He may also soon be having a fourth job. He said he will wait at least a couple of weeks before a decision is made. The husband of Terri Donaldson and the father to Angela and Jessica just keeps getting job offers.

 

“I have an application for Mountain State Auto Auction,” said Donaldson. “That is where you might see me next.”

 

If so, you can be assured chances are good he will be the most popular and beloved person on staff. No matter the job, it is what he does.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows the familiar smile Sheddrick “Sonny” Donaldson has greeted thousands of individuals with, while he's shown with his granddaughter Jocelyn Sykes in the second photo. In the third picture, he is shown with his wife Terri and that is followed with a photo of Sonny and friend Jim Griffith. In the fifth photo, he is shown in 2019 when he was named King of the Black Heritage Festival with his friend Hugh "Bucky" Wolfe. Bottom picture shows Sonny with his mother Mary Donaldson. All photos courtesy of Sheddrick “Sonny” Donaldson.