He blazed around area speedways for nearly four
decades as one of Lebanon County's most celebrated and accomplished race-car
drivers ever. Today, at age 86, Leroy Felty is still on the move. Only now,
he's usually on foot.
"I just had a physical and passed with
flying colors," Felty said proudly last month while sitting in the living
room of his home at Juniper Village in South Lebanon Township. "I don't
take any medications -- nothing."
If you live in South Lebanon or are driving
along Route 422 east of the city, you might see Felty and his wife of 61 years,
Betty, on one of their mega-walks.
"We walk to Home Depot," Felty said
with a smile, "then we go to the bank, then we cross (Route 422) and go to
CVS and Giant. And then we walk home."
Felty says he has another walking route in South
Lebanon that covers 2 1/2 miles. As you might have guessed, he loves to walk.
He also rides a bicycle and owns a moped that he occasionally takes out for a
spin.
He credits his excellent health to staying
active, steady exercise and avoiding "sitting around the house." He
shovels his own sidewalk in the winter and helps neighbors with their snow
removal. He volunteers at Juniper Village, calling bingo games twice a week. He
and Betty also enjoy working on puzzles and playing cards with friends.
Mementos of his 37-year racing career are tucked
away in a corner of his garage. Painted on a large mirror are images of more
than a dozen race cars he drove at speedways on the East Coast. Surrounding the
mirror are photos, plaques and trophies from his career -- although most of his
trophies are gone, thanks to an act of generosity and humility.
"I had 110 trophies, and we moved from the
big house we had in Jonestown," Felty recalled. "We didn't have any
place to put them. I loaded them up on a truck and took them to Port Royal and
told the PA announcer, 'Tell the kids to come down and get a free trophy.' We
gave 110 trophies away to kids that day."
