Everyday Hero: A man dedicated to the community spends his days pushing carts and singing songs

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Singing Sam Cooke… and singing it well. John Smalls can often be heard while collecting shopping carts in the Walmart parking lot at Wando Crossing.

Maybe you’ve heard him before. He’s been there for a while.

“I’ve been working here… before the end of the year, it will be 35 years. And I’ve been out there about 30 years doing the carts,” he said.

Smalls, 85, is responsible for bringing the carts back inside the store – and he loves his job.

“Being outside was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “I have the opportunity to meet a lot of people that I used to work with in school.”

Smalls was a substitute teacher in Charleston before he started working at Walmart.

When he wasn’t teaching, Smalls – born and raised in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant – was a writer.

“He became a writer, worked with the Chronicle for a long time as a freelance writer. He’s done some good writing, the whole nine yards,” said Otto German, a family friend.

The Charleston Chronicle is a weekly newspaper serving Black communities in the area. Smalls wrote the “Across the Cooper” column. He’s been a big part of the community and has been for decades.

“To get to know him, you just have to sit down and have a conversation with him. And I tell you, you will be amazed at some of the things he’s done and the knowledge that he has, even dating back to the civil rights days,” said German.

A singer, a teacher, and a writer – still working hard and being recognized by friends for all he has done.

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