A father worried about why his daughter often remained behind in the school bus after others left, so he decided to find answers. What he found was not what he expected.
Benjamin Bruce was a single dad who had to step in to become his child’s mother after she passed away. Their daughter, Emily, had been six when it happened.
Ben loved his daughter because, to him, she was all that was left of his beloved wife, and he had also promised her that Emily would be well taken care of no matter what.
To that end, Ben tried his best to juggle work while being present in his daughter’s life. He had no other family he trusted to look after her, so he had to do everything himself.
The first couple of years were rough on him as a parent, and just as he was acclimatizing to the rollercoaster, his daughter hit puberty, and at that point, things got wilder.
She suddenly started going through physical changes right before his eyes, and he knew what they meant — the boys would be coming for her. How could they not; his daughter had his late wife’s red hair and deep green eyes that seemed designed to mesmerize.
Even Ben was not immune to her eyes and had fallen prey to her will multiple times over the years. When she clocked 12, two years after she hit puberty, Emily discovered boys.
That led to her paying a lot of attention to her hair and appearance because she wanted to look good for her school crush. Ben was prepared to beat back boys with a stick if need be, but what he was not ready for was caring for his daughter’s looks.
Emily had to do that herself, but she was terrible at it with no role model to learn from. Ben often just cut her hair short as a child because he knew nothing about hair care, but he had to respect her wishes to keep her hair longer as she grew older.
There was little he would not do for his child, so to help her, he started brushing her hair when it was long enough. He was a big man, and even though he tried to be gentle, he occasionally pulled it out.
“Ouch!!!!” she yelled one day.
“I’m sorry baby,” he apologized quickly, as he always did.
“You need to be more gentle daddy,” she would admonish him sometimes.
Other times, she just endured the pain because she did not want to make her father feel terrible for causing it. Ben felt the sting of his failure each time his daughter complained of her hair getting pulled out, and that made him try to cut her hair again.
“Just get rid of it all,” he would say when they argued about it sometimes. “Your mom kept her hair cropped short and she still looked wonderful.”
“Daddy, I will no longer cut my hair, look how slow its growth is because of how often you cut it in the past,” she would shoot back. In any case, Ben never won the arguments, but he didn’t need to; they stopped coming up after a short while.
Shortly after that, he noticed that his daughter started getting tardy notices from her class teacher, Mrs. Flynn. So he called the woman to find out.
“That’s right, Mr. Bruce. Your daughter has five tardy notices this week alone. Is there anything going on I should know about?” the woman asked him.
“Nothing is going on. Things have been great at home for some time now and I do release her to join the bus early so I’m sure she makes it to school when others do,” he explained.
“Did you notice anything going on with her this past week?” Ben asked.
“Well, I was running late for class once and I saw her alight from the bus rather late even though she should have been in class by that time. The driver probably knows something about it because only they can access the bus at any time.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Flynn, I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Ben told her before ending the call.
Worried about why his daughter was spending extra time on a bus, Ben followed her the next day. True to what Mrs. Flynn told him, he noticed that everyone on the bus alighted when it arrived on the school grounds — everyone but his daughter.
As soon as he could, Ben burst into the bus in a rush thinking the worst but was instead met with the scene of a nice 40-year-old woman combing his daughter’s hair. The woman, Madeline, was the bus driver.
“Mr. Bruce?” the woman exclaimed at his sudden entry as Emily looked up, surprised to see her father.
“Dad? What are you doing here?”
“Hello ma’am,” Ben said after clearing his throat and righting himself. “Sorry about barging in, but I heard my daughter was getting tardy notices so I came to see why.”
“Oh, well in that case, here’s why,” the woman said, gesturing to his daughter’s hair. “I noticed how she seemed to struggle with her hair so I offered to help her brush it every day before she goes to class because she says her rough hair often makes her feel bad.”
“Honey,” Ben said to his daughter. “You never told me this.”
“I just didn’t want you to worry about it,” Emily defended.
Later that day, Ben invited Madeline for coffee. When the bus driver heard about what happened to his wife, she started to cry.
She herself was a cancer survivor, and she was well aware of how lucky she was to have pulled through and was grateful that she could still be there for her own children.
Madeline was convinced she survived for the kids on the bus who needed somebody to talk to or do their hair or whatever, so she begged Ben to find a compromise that would help his daughter.
To that end, Ben spoke to Mrs. Flynn, her teacher, and after explaining things to the woman, Emily was never given a tardy notice again. Ben was grateful to Madeline, and he remained close friends with her for a long time.
What did we learn from this story?
Never jump to conclusions. Ben gave himself a fright when he immediately assumed something sinful was happening between the bus driver and his child, and if he had not taken the pains to confirm it, things might have taken a terrible turn.
Give back when you can. Madeline believed he was spared from death to take care of other kids, and that was what she did. Caring for those kids was her way of giving back, and it left her feeling fulfilled, especially since she was able to touch lives like Emily’s and Ben’s.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
“The stunning ‘Daisy Duke’ looks completely different now – her famous legs were once insured for a million dollars.”
Back in 1979, my Friday nights were spent glued to CBS, eagerly waiting for The Dukes of Hazzard to come on.
As a young boy, I was infatuated with ‘Daisy Duke.’ Honestly, every guy who grew up in the late ’70s probably had a crush on her. The gorgeous brunette was played by the effortlessly stunning Catherine Bach.
Now at 70, Catherine looks quite different, but you can’t help but smile when you see her recent photos…
How many TV characters leave such a lasting fashion legacy? Catherine Bach, forever known as Daisy Duke, cemented her place in pop culture history.
The beautiful actress, who famously had her legs insured, rose to fame in the late ’70s and ’80s. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, she became iconic for her bold wardrobe choices—being one of the first to rock short shorts on TV.
But those who think Catherine was just another pretty face couldn’t be more mistaken.
She had the creativity, confidence, and smarts to shape the character that defined her career.
For instance, the producers of Dukes of Hazzard wanted her to wear a tight white turtleneck, go-go boots, and a poodle skirt for the role. But Catherine took matters into her own hands, designing her own wardrobe. She even handmade many of the outfits, including her signature look.
Today, cut-off denim shorts are still known as “Daisy Dukes,” and it’s amazing that girls continue to wear them, sometimes not even realizing the name’s connection to the show.
A Dolly Parton Look-alike
Catherine Bach was born in Warren, Ohio, in 1954. She had a unique upbringing, splitting her time between her father’s ranch in South Dakota and summers with her mother in California after her parents’ divorce.
While spending time in California, Catherine attended drama school and fell in love with acting. Just two days after finishing high school, she hopped on a plane to Hollywood, determined to make it.
She went through a list of agents in town, visiting every one until she found someone willing to take her on as a client.
The aspiring actress, determined to break into movies, landed a few small roles before learning about an audition for a show called The Dukes of Hazzard. It was her then-husband, David Shaw (Angela Lansbury’s stepson), who brought the opportunity to her attention.
“My husband was a contractor… and he liked to hire struggling actors, writers, and producers. One of them was painting our house while writing a show about an old moonshiner called The Dukes of Hazzard,” Catherine revealed to Beaver County Times in 1981.
Catherine recalled that the producers were originally looking for someone resembling Dolly Parton to play Daisy Duke, envisioning a woman with big blonde hair, a curvy figure, and an hourglass shape. Despite not fitting the description, Catherine auditioned and impressed everyone, landing the role the same night.
The Dukes of Hazzard quickly became a massive success, ranking as one of the top TV shows of the late ’70s. While critics weren’t fans, the general public loved it. The show had everything—car chases, cheesy jokes, and a stunning lead actress.
Catherine Bach’s portrayal of Daisy Duke turned her into a household name. Many fans tuned in just to see her, and her character was adored by viewers.
“Daisy is a mix of many people I’ve known. She’s part of the wildest girl I knew in high school, part of a few close friends I had in Georgia, and there’s a lot of Dolly Parton in her too. She’s also a lot like me when I was a waitress—independent, tough, and able to do anything the guys could do,” Catherine explained in 1979.
In the late ’70s, Catherine represented natural beauty. She had no cosmetic enhancements—no implants, Botox, or veneers.
Within the show, she played the sweet, slightly naive southern belle with strong morals, but it was her good looks and charm that captivated viewers.She wasn’t covered in tattoos, didn’t have unusual piercings or dyed hair—she was simply a down-to-earth, naturally beautiful woman.
Famously, her legs were insured for $1,000,000, adding yet another layer to her star appeal.
Husband’s Tragic Death
After The Dukes of Hazzard ended in 1985, Catherine struggled to maintain the same level of stardom. She appeared in a few low-budget films, and her career slowed down.
However, she later gained recognition for her role as Margo Dutton in the popular Canadian series African Skies. Some fans might also remember her recurring role as Anita Lawson in The Young and the Restless.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck in 2010 when her husband, entertainment lawyer Peter Lopez, passed away. The couple had married in 1990 and remained together until his untimely death.
“He was the love of my life,” Catherine shared with People magazine.
Catherine’s husband tragically took his own life, leaving her with countless questions and few answers. He wasn’t struggling with addiction, rarely drank, and they enjoyed a stable financial life together.
So what led him to this decision?
“There’s a lot of stress in the music industry, but Peter was always composed and collected,” she shared with People.
“The more time that passes, the more I feel he did this to protect us. Something must have happened that he couldn’t move past.”
Confronted with profound loss and overwhelming grief, Catherine dedicated herself to her family. She paused her career to support her daughters, Laura Esmerelda and Sophia Isabella, who were only 11 and 14 at the time.
Catherine couldn’t afford to fall apart; she did everything she could to hold their family together as their home was “swarmed with reporters, the coroner’s office, and various people.”
“I realize these girls are my legacy, and Peter’s legacy. They represent our love and our values about family. I couldn’t allow myself to focus on my own feelings,” she expressed to Huffington Post.
Ultimately, the actress found strength through her faith.
“I prayed a lot. I attended church frequently. I’m Catholic and maintained a close relationship with my priest, whom I deeply trust… That’s what kept me going.”
Catherine Bach Today
In 2024, it will mark 40 years since The Dukes of Hazzard concluded, and Catherine, of course, looks quite different from that young star of years past. Yet one thing remains unchanged: her radiant smile! Catherine has aged beautifully and is still a lovely woman.
During her time as Daisy Duke, she stayed fit by “dancing three hours a day, hiking, and swimming.” Her athleticism not only aided her in the role but also helped her fit into those notoriously tiny shorts.
“The hardest part of wearing the shorts was keeping them zipped,” she once admitted.
However, things have changed a bit over the years. Like many of us, she has experienced fluctuations in weight as she ages.
“I’ve gained a little weight, but who cares?” she told People.
In 2022, the actress was spotted in public for the first time in a while, enjoying some retail therapy in Los Angeles. The stunning star of the 1970s traded her tiny shorts for large sunglasses, black sneakers, and a cross-body phone case.
Many fans noted that the years have changed her and struggled to recognize the former star—but that’s quite normal.
While people age, their character and personality can often shine even brighter. Catherine has always been, and continues to be, a true sweetheart.
Leave a Reply