Community Corner
Meet Richard Krauss, Volunteer Crossing Guard
"Mr. Dick" keeps children safe morning and afternoon, five days a week, for Lincoln Elementary School in Emmaus.
Name: Richard (Dick) Krauss
Town in which you live: Krauss was born and raised in Emmaus.
Job Description: Krauss is retired from the Emmaus Public Works Department and volunteers as a crossing guard at .
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Do you have any other jobs outside of your school duties?
"I do not consider crossing guard a duty; I consider crossing guard a pleasure."
When did you become a crossing guard and what motivated you to do it?
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"September 2007 ... My mother was one of the first crossing guards."
What do you like least about your job?
"Impatient drivers."
Have you ever seen any accidents during your time on the job?
"About a week ago a young lady was speeding down 3rd Street. She blew through the stop sign at 3rd & Elm street and hit a car. She admitted to the responding police officer that she was not paying attention to what she was doing."
What's the scariest thing that has ever happened to you while on the job?
"Thinking what might have happened if I had been crossing children when she sped by my corner."
What's the strangest thing you've ever had to do to help someone get across the street?
"Nothing really strange. But, I carry dog treats, and most mornings the dogs wait, but some mornings the dogs will run out into the center of the street to get their treats."
What's one thing you wish you could get people to understand about how to properly cross a street?
"Stay in the crosswalks. You do not save any steps or time by jay walking."
Which is worse, crossing people in the rain or in the heat?
"Heat."
What is your favorite thing about Emmaus?
"The close-knit neighborhoods."
What do you like to do in your spare time?
"I do pet projects. I place and maintain the Emaus Fireman's Relief memorial markers and flags on all of the Emmaus cemeteries. I place and maintain the Veteran's memorial markers on the cemeteries. I aid the Emmaus Moravian Church "Nuddy Buddies" making peanuts. Enjoying my retirement."
Tell us something unique that people might not know about you.
"I served in the USNR (United States Navy Reserve) for four years, two of those years aboard a ship that spent nine months in support of Operation Deep Freeze 1966."
Every Friday the Emmaus Patch will help you to get to know another of the many people who make our hometown such a wonderful place to live. If you would like to recommend someone for us to highlight in the future, please tell us in the comment box or email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.