KITV-article

November 25, 2013

Beloved newspaper salesman gives thanks to supporters, friends

George Ligman has long been a familiar face in his community

 George Ligman could easily be in an in-care home.
at home, doing next do nothing.
Nobody would fault him. Nobody would bat an eyelash.
Considering what he's been through, most people would expect it.
But not George Ligman.
Ligman has sat in the same spot across from Castle Medical Center for decades selling newspapers.
His limp is obvious, his location is dangerous, but still, he smiles on.
"I always have a special wave for him," said one motorist.
"I always get a paper from George," said another.
"He's got a lot of girlfriends there, too," said his wife, Jane.
She keeps a watchful eye on him.
About two and a half years ago, Ligman was struck by a truck. The driver lost control, ran him down and then drove into some shrubbery, dragging Ligman with him.
"Folks cried. Oh, my God. I was very emotional," his wife said.
Ligman was hospitalized in critical condition, but just a week and a half later, he was back on the job.
As a teenager, Ligman was involved in a very serious motorcycle crash that split his head open and landed him in the hospital for a solid year. So, for him, being here is something of a miracle.
"(The) doctor calls it therapy for him. It keeps his mind occupied," Jane said.
Through it all, Ligman holds close things like a letter from Sen. Fred Hemmings called "The Gift."
"Walking alone was a man about my age. His rugged face was of a thousand years," Ligman reads from the letter.
It is something special. Much like those who have wished him well along the way.
Ligman and his wife give thanks to them all.