The white bus with the blue line on its side travels up and down the streets of campus and in the town. John Hamilton, a friendly man who loves his job, sits behind the wheel of the Panther Express, Eastern’s shuttle bus, about 26 hours a week, making $8 an hour.

To most people, a job is something they have to do to make end meets and to earn money. People find other things to do for “fun,” but not Hamilton.

Hamilton, 56, said his job is fun and enjoyable. “I make a few bucks, and I like the students,” Hamilton said. “I can talk with them and kid with them.”

He said college students are great. Some drink a little too much, and his main dislike is “a loud mouth student with a little too much beer in them,” but for the most part, students are appreciative of the bus service, especially in the cold weather, he said.

“Students always say `thank you.’ That just makes your job easier,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton became interested in being a shuttle bus driver because he wanted part-time work in the winter. He worked with his son, John, who runs a lawn service, but in the winter, he had a lot of free time.

Scott Harrison, owner of H&H Transportation, the company that runs the Panther Express, said Hamilton drives the bus simply for something to do.

“All he does is work, and it keeps him occupied,” he said. “He’s doing it because he’s bored, not because he needs the money.”

The shuttle bus has been in existence for three years. Hamilton drove the first year while another driver was in Florida, skipped the second year and returned this year when the university got the second shuttle bus.

Hamilton drives the bus Thursday and Friday nights from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and most of the day Saturdays and Sundays. The bus runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays, but he also has help on those days.

“My son-in-law comes on duty in the afternoon and gives me a chance to nap,” Hamilton said.

He said he doesn’t really get tired of driving. He does take a nap during the day on Thursdays and Fridays, so he is “in good shape for 1:30.”

“I took the night shift because the other guys didn’t want to work as late,” Hamilton said. He said he doesn’t mind working late because then he can sleep in in the mornings.

On a typical night, Hamilton said he drives about 125 students uptown and brings back about 75. He generally drives the bus up Fourth Street to Marty’s, Jerry’s, Stu’s and Mother’s. He waits for a while and then goes back to campus to drive more students to the same locations. About midnight, he starts bringing students back to campus.

On a typical night, Hamilton doesn’t experience anything out of the ordinary, but every now and then, something sticks in his mind as a memorable experience.

One night, a snowball flew through the bus door. The incident occurred at 1:10 a.m. when he was picking students up from the bars. He pulled over to the side of the road and was waiting for students to load the bus. He said a woman was holding the door open, trying to get her group in the bus.

“She just held the door too long and pretty soon, the bus became a target,” Hamilton said. “I shut the door and left. I left part of the group. It taught me not to stop (too long) when snow’s on the ground.”

Hamilton said driving a bus for Eastern is only natural since he has been associated with the university for 39 years.

Hamilton graduated from Mattoon High School in 1962 and then from Eastern with a bachelor’s degree in math in 1966. He met his wife, Doris, who has been a residence hall counselor in University Court for 22 years, at Eastern.

“Charleston girls convert us, marry us and bring us to Charleston,” he said.

After graduating from Eastern, he taught math in Lovington at the junior high and high school. Becoming a math teacher was a surprise for him. His first major was a straight bachelor’s of science. Then he found out about legislative scholarships for two or three years, and the next thing he knew, he was in the mathematics teaching area. His math classes convinced him that teaching might be something he would enjoy.

He also worked for 23 years at K-Mart until K-Mart bought his pension and he began working with his son’s lawn service.

When he’s not busy working, Hamilton also likes genealogy. “I like trying to find my dead ancestors,” he said. He also enjoys hunting and farming; he has an 80 acre farm in Greenup where he likes to take his four labradors.

Harrison said he’s known Hamilton for more than 20 years. He said he is a “happy go lucky guy” who will do anything for anyone.

“(He’s) one of the best,” Harrison said. “He’s dependable, personable. It goes without saying if you know the man.”