Love makes up for the extra things we don't have. Last October, television talk show host Oprah Winfrey saluted Lacy on-air as part of a show highlighting people who have done good deeds. I t's 10 a.m., three buses out of a fleet of 38 are already down, and Virgil Ates is a very busy man. Unlike most other mechanics, he's also an inventor. To save time and boost safety, Ates has helped invent a safety tool called Lite-Check, which allows school bus drivers to test their brake lights by themselves.
Safety is a big concern to Ates.