A gregarious man by the name of Kert Ingraham sits in a wheelchair in a hand-marked spot along Washington Street waving at passerby's. We see him and wave to him almost every day, sometimes multiple times in one day as we often drive up and down Washington Street between home and downtown.
I am so touched by his act of kindness towards others - that he chooses to take time out of his life to make others feel a little happier and their day a little brighter.
Once when we walked downtown this past spring, we stopped to talk to him. He shared some stories with us, always remembering to wave to passing cars while we chatted. Another time, we pulled over to say hello and since I had my camera with me, I asked if I could take a photo of him. (That's when I took these photos.) Recently, Jim, Li and Makana stopped to chat with him on a walk downtown. They were surprised to see him by the car wash across and down the street from his usual spot. No matter where he is, he is happy to talk and friendly to all.
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| I am so touched by this nice fellow who inspires others by sharing joy and kindness with the community and to everyone passing by! |
When we first spoke to Kert, he told us that three local papers wrote an article about him where he was called the "Washington Street Waver." On 8/9/2013, I obtained permission from Dan Dunkle of Courier Publications LLC to copy and paste the write up and comments from the Camden Herald/Courier Gazette on September 24, 2012 about Kert. http://knox.villagesoup.com/p/63-washington-st-the-waver/900957#.UaA7QUDVB8E. It is nice to see that others appreciate him too!
If anyone would like to subscribe to Village Soup (which owns the Camden Herald/Courier Gazette), click on this link: https://knox.villagesoup.com/join/?membershipName=Member&actionMethod=user%2Fregister.xhtml%3Aregister.selectMembership&cid=164599
Here is the article, courtesy of Village Soup:
63 Washington St - "The Waver"
By Karma O'Donal | Sep 24, 2012
I just have to mention this to see if anyone else feels the same as I do. There is a gentleman that sits out here day in/day out, rain or shine waving to us all as we pass in front of the assisted living center at 63 Washington. He sits in his motorized chair with a smile on his face waving me in as I head home every day from work. Nice to see a fella out there who has found something to keep him happy and busy and I must day it always puts a smile on my face as I head home.
Thank you sir for be the official "Washington St. Waver" and I'll have to stop someday and introduce myself! - Mark O'Donal
Yes Karma - I wrote this under your login!
Comments (6)
POSTED BY: KARMA O'DONAL | Oct 02, 2012 11:51
Thank you Michelle. I look forward to meeting Kurt and possibly pulling up a chair and joining in the wave. Karma...This is really Karma. ;)
POSTED BY: ALISON CONTENTO | Sep 26, 2012 20:22
Mark & Karma, Did I ever tell you that Abbey and Sarah were downtown about 6 weeks ago and decided to bring him flowers? (their own idea) They called me and asked where they could get flowers downtown. I told them to go to Lily Lupine. When they were buying the flowers, Bunny was talking to the girls and when they told her who it was for she gave them a great discount. I picked up the girls to bring them home and on the way we stopped and they gave him a two red roses. He LOVED it! They spent a few minutes talking to him. It was so sweet and really very touching. I couldn't not have been prouder of both of them.--Alison
POSTED BY: MICHELLE HANNAN | Sep 26, 2012 09:44
The "Waver" is Kert Ingraham. Kert grew up in Sherman Mills in Aroostook County on a potato farm. He has a very interesting life story ranging from Military service, Heating and AC specialist to being a funeral director in the Bangor and Carmel area and most recently lived in Skowhegan before moving to 63 Washington St. He would love to tell you his life story, so feel free to stop by anytime!
POSTED BY: KARMA O'DONAL | Sep 25, 2012 09:20
Is he from the area Michelle? If he is, I wonder if he knew my gramps. He passed 20 years ago but he would have been 92. He grew up in Camden so I was just wondering. Mark
POSTED BY: CATHERINE COOPER | Sep 25, 2012 09:16
That waving gentleman makes me smile! I smile and enthusiastically wave back and I wasn't sure if it was okay for me to stop and say hello. Now I know that I can..and I will!
POSTED BY: MICHELLE HANNAN | Sep 25, 2012 07:15
Mark- Thank you for posting this. I am on the Board of 63 Washington St, and Kurt is one of our residents. He loves spending his time out waving to passer byes and would LOVE for you to stop and talk to him. This is how he spends his time, but as you point out, I think he is really giving something back to everyone that passes by. Stop by and visit him or any of our residence at any time. We are always looking for volunteers, especially Board Members.. Hint Hint..
