10-4 Magazine November 2024

he uses to haul grain locally, as well as a lot of fieldwork during harvest. Throughout my time spent with Tony and Michelle, several emotional conversations were had, including a most recent occurrence regarding this very article. Where Tony parks his truck, there has been a sort of seniority on this lot, and Tony’s parking spot used to belong to Dennis Merica. Prior to his retirement, Dennis was able to stop at truck stops that carried 10-4 Magazine, and each month he’d pick up a copy for Tony and then drop it on the front seat of his truck. This went on for about 15 years throughout the early 2000s. When Dennis retired about ten years ago, he came to Tony’s house and said Tony could have his coveted parking spot. Fast forward to spring of this year, while vacationing in Key West for their 10-4 Magazine / November 2024 31