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It's their turn to fix something

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published September 1, 2006

For 30 years, Jack Brant was happiest when he was in the huge metal barnlike garage.

Whether working on sheet metal, welding, repairing an engine or just piddling around, Brant, 65, just enjoyed being there, getting his hands dirty, fixing things.

Now he can only walk among the charred ruins. A month ago, Brant, retired head custodian at Pine View Middle School in Land O'Lakes, was bush-hogging his property when fire engulfed his garage, destroying tools and equipment he had accumulated over the past 45 years, since he was a sheet metal worker in the U.S. Air Force.

Investigators aren't quite sure what happened. Brant had been welding that morning; it might have been a stray spark.

Firefighters arrived to the sound of exploding welding tanks and ammunition. Brant could do nothing but sit, watch and cry.

"I would rather it was my house that burned," he said.

All that's left is charred and rusted scuba tanks, welding tanks, drill presses, table saws, outboard motors, a turkey roasting pot, metal lathes, even a Toyota pickup he bought for his daughter.

"Name any tool, if I didn't have one I had two or three," he said. "Tools are like toys to me."

Now the only movement in the garage comes from his three orange tabby cats: Crooked Ear, Bob and Maurice. He's grateful they escaped the fire.

I first heard about Brant's misfortune from his longtime friend John Couture, who called the office. John had conspired with other members of Moose Lodge 1903 in Land O'Lakes to hold a pig roast to raise money and help recoup some of his welding and scuba equipment.

After all, those tools weren't just Jack's tools. His was a sort of neighborhood garage. Folks would show up at his mobile home in the back of the woods off State Road 52 and ask him to weld some piece of equipment. It's what he did, how he lived.

Couture figured a party would be a nice way to help a faithful friend. Local businesses chipped in with gifts to raffle at the party. But it was supposed to be a surprise. I couldn't write about the event beforehand.

Afterward, Couture said it was something to see Brant's face when he walked into the Moose Lodge on Saturday afternoon and saw about 200 folks gathered there just for him.

He couldn't help sniffling a little. Just like the day of the fire as he stood helplessly and watched his "toys" go up in smoke.

I went to see the wrecked garage for myself this week. Brant was still trying to deal with the claim forms for his insurance company. But he still doesn't quite know what he lost. It's impossible to tell how much it was worth. For example, there was the aluminum foot locker he made for his dad while he was in the military. He brought it home after his father died.

"You can't put a price tag on things like that," he said.

He's not planning to rebuild his garage. He'll probably get a container to store the equipment he will inevitably start collecting again. He's a man who fixes things. He can't live without tools.

On his back porch sat a brand new Craftsman tool kit, the kind with the drawers stacked for different hand tools and screws. Nearby was a new circular saw and a 7-inch wet saw to cut ceramic tiles.

A few feet away was a cardboard box marked "Tim's Tools" that contained an assortment of hand tools. It was a gift from an elderly couple for whom Brant had repaired a toilet tank.

It was a simple plumbing job. Brant did it for free because that's what he does.

He fixes things.

Andrew Skerritt can be reached at 813 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 31, 2006, 19:43:18]