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Donald Morehead, Vendor of the Week.
Photo by J.P. Gritton |
As I write Donald Morehead’s profile,
it dawns on me how much you can guess about somebody from the way they walk. Donald Morehead’s
is kind of an abortive swagger; it might suggest, “I need to take care of some business,” and/or “I have all the time in the world.” It is a walk that has traveled through government
projects, military barracks and, finally, the streets of Ballard.
He was born in Virginia, but he’s been around a little. His mother and father, who worked as a nurse and punch-press operator, respectively, followed work where it took them: Minnesota, Chicago, and Cairo, Illinois (that’s “Cay-roe” to you).
When he was old enough, Morehead
joined the Army Rangers. He saw East Berlin and Panama, and he was involved in both Desert Storm and the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
“That’s where I got injured,” says Morehead of his time in Somalia, “shrapnel across my back.”
When he tells me this, I want to ask how it happened. I want to ask what war is like. I want to ask what it feels like to have molten metal in your flesh.
“Did it hurt?” is all I can think to say.
“Yeah,” he intones.
“Okay.” Enough said.
When Morehead was discharged from the Army Rangers, he worked construction in Minnesota with the Local
242, eventually moving to Seattle to do the same thing. His back still gives him trouble, so he works construction
only part-time, supplementing his income with Real Change.
“I appreciate your help,” he tells his customers. “Thank you.”
These days, you can find him at Ballard Market. |
