The Hubcap Hero

A family of Bedford residents recently were on the receiving end of a mysterious benefactor that crossed their paths in DeWolf Park — a benefactor the family has come to know as (thanks in part to at least some suggestion by this writer, admittedly) the Hubcap Hero.

Dianne McDonald and her grandson, Connor McDonald, took a leisurely walk in DeWolf Park on July 15, and when they returned to Dianne’s car — which has been visibly missing a hubcap on the front passenger-side tire for a while now — they were surprised to see four new ones set beside the vehicle.

“I believe I spotted it,” says Connor, 19. “I was wondering what it was — I just thought it was maybe some trash or something. But I was really surprised, and quite excited, to see that it was hubcaps, with a message. ”

The message Connor mentions was a note written on a napkin, which put to rest any doubt that these hubcaps were being gifted to Dianne.

“[The note says], ‘4 Versa hubcaps u can have cuz u r missing one I took mine off and don’t need them anymore,’” says Dianne, reading from the note that she had stowed away in her purse. The note itself was the most touching thing about this random act of kindness for Dianne.

“Most people might have just left them there and thought, ‘oh well, I’m off,’” says Dianne. “But I think the note, really, is special. I probably will have it for a very long time.”

Dianne and Connor looked for their benefactor, and would have thanked them right then and there if they could, but whoever left the hubcaps did so in secret, and had vanished into the night before they had the chance.

“We were looking around, trying to see if somebody was nearby, but unfortunately, the vigilante out there still remains unknown,” says Connor. “It’d be cool to say thank you.”

This incident had gotten both Dianne and Connor thinking about how to pay this act of kindness forward, since the Hubcap Hero left them no opportunity to pay them back. Dianne has been a resident of Bedford since 1975, and has done a lot of volunteer work in the community during that time, but she admits that this is the first time she has been the recipient of such a small gesture of kindness in secret, and wants to pay it forward.

“I really thought that it was something that was very generous to do,” says Dianne. “Immediately, I think I said to Connor, I said, ‘we’ll have to do something to pay it forward to somebody else.’”

The family hasn’t decided exactly how they’re going to pay it forward yet — Dianne says she’s just waiting until the right opportunity presents itself. But one opportunity lies in the very same hubcaps she was gifted, as regrettably, they don’t fit her wheel wells.

“They’re the right size, but they don’t fit the wheel configuration, so they won’t clip on and stay on,” says Dianne. Rather than waste the hubcaps, though, she’s ready to bequeath them to someone who might also happen to need some Versa-brand hubcaps for their car.

“If I could find anyone that could use the hubcaps, I would be very willing to pass them forward,” says Dianne. “My grandson set up an email address for me, for anyone who wanted to email me for the hubcaps.”

Dianne’s daughter-in-law, and Connor’s mother, hopes that this email might also get a secondary use — as an avenue for the Hubcap Hero to come forward.

“I think it would be great if the person did get in contact with Dianne,” says Jacqueline McDonald, who was the one who informed us about this story. “It would be kind of nice to know who it was. But if they didn’t want that, that’s fine as well.”

Dianne, for her part, is more than happy to let the Hubcap Hero maintain his or her secret identity if they so wish – she just wants a chance to say thank you.

“I don’t need to meet them, but I would like to be able to say thank you, because it’s such a very kind gesture,” says Dianne.

If you’d like to contact Dianne about a set of free, good-as-new Nissan Versa hubcaps — whether as a prospective new owner or the original owner who will accept the family’s thanks — that email is [email protected].