Danny Brown used to wear out six or seven pairs of shoes every year, just going to work.

You probably saw him on the highway Sunday through Thursday, walking to General Motors for the last 15 years.

The 64-year-old janitor hiked more than 10 1/2 miles every afternoon from Columbia to Spring Hill and would accept a ride home from co-workers the next morning.

The Sunset Lane resident rarely missed a shift, working for Leadec and its predecessor Premier. Leadec is a GM contractor that provides industrial services for the automaker. Brown worked in GM's propulsion systems building, formerly known as Powertrain.

Brown clocked in for his shift last month, going out with a retirement cake from his co-workers. His official retirement date will be Oct. 22 — three days after his 65th birthday.

“I spent the last 11 years up there, just pulling trash,” Brown said.

Since 2009, Brown would leave home around 2 and arrive around 5:30 for his 10 p.m. shift. He did not want to take any chances on being late. It also was safer for him to walk on Santa Fe Pike, turn east onto U.S. Highway 412 and north at Nashville Highway (U.S. 31) during daylight than at night.

“I took a shower when I got there, then I would sit around and eat,” Brown said. “I would do a little sleeping and watch a little news until time to go to work.”

Brown worked five days a week, meaning he would travel at least 50 miles a week on foot. Since he was scheduled 50 weeks a year, his distance traveled per year — 2,500 miles — was enough to walk all the way to Seattle from Columbia. Looking at it another way, it was like he walked to Atlanta five times and back.

“I hardly ever missed a day and was never late,” Brown said. “I had a lot of people over who wanted to give me rides, but I could not take the chance of them not showing up.”

Brown said he had a co-worker who was giving him occasional rides but went on vacation without informing him.

“That was the last time I took a ride to work,” Brown said. “I didn't mind the walk and didn't have to rely on anyone.”

Despite growing up in Spring Hill and graduating from Spring Hill High School in the 1970s, the son of Willis and Neva Brown said he never considered moving back to Spring Hill from Columbia.

“I am a creature of habit, a home body,” Brown said. “I have been where I am now [on Sunset Lane] since July 1988. I paid the house off a long time ago.”

Early on, Brown started from home at 4 p.m. That was before was sideswiped on Nashville Highway for the first and only time in his career.

“It didn't get hurt, but the guy didn't even stop,” Brown said. “The older I got, I did not have to deal with the dark until I got on the GM exit ramp. At night, the headlights would blind me, affecting my eyesight.”

The former Spring Hill resident would start his walk with an energy boost. He did not drink Red Bull or eat a stack of bananas.

“I liked to stop at the Kwik Sak and buy myself a honey bun,” he said. “I drank about 80 ounces of water a day, year round. When I first started walking, I got some ice cream every day.”

At first, Brown tried to wear canvas shoes on the road. He quickly found out that cheap shoes were a waste of money.

“Cheap pairs don't last long,” said Brown, adding that his new shoes cost about $144 a pair. “Billy Joel wrote a song [“It's Still Rock 'N' Roll to Me”] that has a line about getting more from a cheap pair of sneakers. I am living proof that you don't.”

Brown was never robbed or threatened on his path. He said he's retiring with very little money, but he remembered walking to work one afternoon with 70 $100 bills in his pocket.

“I was just carrying it around with me,” said Brown, who has been divorced for more than 24 years. “I'm walking around broke now. I've been taking care of my brother and sending my son money for the last several years.”

Despite working around all of those shimmering cars and SUVs, Brown never had a hankering to buy one. He had a few clunkers over the years but only has a bicycle now.

“I never thought about having a new one,” Brown said. “I had an old lady stop me once and asked if she could give me a 10-speed bike to ride. I said no, that I had a bike. Then she said, 'If I buy you a car, will you drive it?' I said no.”

Brown was a member of United Auto Workers Local 1853. Chairman Mike Herron said members were inspired by his work ethic.

“Danny epitomizes hard work and dedication,” Herron said. “He's a man who walked a great distance to work every single day … yet is never late, never misses work. Nearly everyone who drives Highway 31 has seen Danny walking to work.

“Many of our members have stopped offer assistance and pick him up,” Herron added. “It never mattered what the weather was, he was committed to getting to work on time. He would say, 'Thank you very much. Have a blessed day.' We will miss Danny at the Spring Hill plant. We wish him well his retirement— because he has certainly earned it.”

As he walked 10 1/2 miles during heat waves, snow and rain storms, Brown said he stayed positive and upbeat.

“I just tried to think good thoughts,” Brown said. “Pleasant thoughts make you happy. It got to be like walking across the street for me. It all went by so fast.”

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James Bennett is editor of The Daily Herald. His column mixes exclusive reporting, old-school storytelling and original commentary. He's been a Tennessee Press Association first-place award winner for editorial writing, news reporting and public service since joining the newspaper in 2014. Contact him at jbennett@c-dh.