People in Sweeping Making a Difference

James Raven: Noted Street Sweeper at 84

In 2009, somebody told James Raven about a street sweeping position in his Richmond, Texas, hometown. Now, 15 years later at age 84, Mr. Raven is known up and down the main street for his work ethic as well as his dedication to keeping the area looking as nice as can be.

City managers say things like "He's here every day. I don't think he's ever taken a day off being sick," and "If he misses a day people were calling wanting to know their things okay with him. We don't take it for granted. He's part of the family. Don't stop by and have coffee. And we enjoy His company enjoy his wisdom and his dedication to what he does."

You would never know that James Raven is 84, since he comes across as being 10 or 15 years younger than he really is. As for why he is continuing to work at this job, he says of himself: "If you just sit down, your whole body can go down. I would rather keep busy, and I would rather keep happy. I do the best I can and I try to do it right away. I am also going to do my work the best I can, and for as long as I can."

Check out the 3-minute video showcasing Mr. Raven and his diligence. If you cannot view the embedded video below, here is the link on YouTube.

When this article was written in March of 2024 we sent city officials an award certificate in the form of a pdf file, which they agreed to print, frame and present to Mr. Raven. Here's the photo of that presentation, which was done by Michelle Moore, also shown in the photo.

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