Retired Special-Needs School Bus Driver Honored in ‘Be My Neighbor’ Contest

CEDARBURG, Wis. — A school bus driver here who has hung up his keys has been honored in a contest for his work with special-needs students.

Dwight Miller, a school bus driver for Go Riteway, had driven for Cedarburg School District for 19 years, 17 of which he spent driving students with special needs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. He recently retired so that he and his wife could move to Ohio where their son and grandchildren live.

Miller's neighbor, Susan Grosskoph, recently nominated him for the "Be My Neighbor” contest that was put on by Focus Features to celebrate the legacy of former TV host Fred Rogers, known to viewers of his show as “Mister Rogers.” For nominating Miller, Grosskoph won a hometown screening of "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", a documentary about Rogers' life, according to the newspaper.

Before the screening, Grosskoph spoke of Miller’s kindness as a bus driver. She said that “parents knew their children were in the best hands when they left for school and when he returned them home,” and that he decorated the bus, sang to students, and mentored them. The mayor of Cedarburg also declared the day of the movie screening “Dwight Miller Day,” according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Read Grosskoph’s nomination of Miller here.

Watch a video of Miller being recognized at the screening below.

Meet Dwight Miller, a local special needs bus driver from Cedarburg, Wisconsin and the winner of our Mr. Rogers #BeMyNeighbor contest! Read more about Mr. Miller’s story at https://t.co/SyFWDgHAOi. pic.twitter.com/bVeR0oSr7u

— Won't You Be My Neighbor? (@MrRogersMovie) August 6, 2018