Man wearing only a box turns heads in Raymond

Published 4:42 pm Monday, June 3, 2024

In a small-town version of Lady Godiva’s legendary nude horseback ride for a good cause, a man wearing only a box strolled through Raymond on Saturday, June 1, around 8:40 p.m. in aid of a dying woman.

The incident caught the attention of many citizens and travelers who were baffled at the sight. Police declined to pursue the Good Samaritan.

The Raymond Elks Lodge No. 1292 held an auction and fundraiser for Vickie Jenkins, who is battling inoperable stage 4 stomach cancer. She learned in early April that she had cancer and later learned its severity.

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‘This community is generous, kind, supportive, and a whole lot of wonderful.’

Dee Roberts, Raymond mayor

How did a man wearing only a box become involved? Well, it turns out that at many Elks fundraisers, Dewey Adair, 71, tosses out a challenge that has never before been taken up.

“At every benefit, at every auction, [Adair] always says that he will strip down, put a box on, and walk U.S. 101 for $10,000,” Raymond Mayor Dee Roberts said. This year, a man who asked not to be identified stepped up to accept the bet.

Adair went to the men’s room, stripped down, grabbed a box and set off on his heroic quest for dollars.

The Pacific County 911 Dispatcher Center received a 911 call at 8:43 p.m. stating that a man was traveling through Raymond “in a box.” The Raymond (RPD) and South Bend Police Departments responded to the call.

According to Roberts, after Adair explained the cause, the officers autographed the box. Adair brought it back to the Elks after he completed his excursion.

RPD Chief Pat Matlock was also briefed about the situation as it happened.

“I got a call, the girls were working and said that, ‘If you get a call of a guy that was running without any clothes and just a box around him, it’s not a big deal; it’s for a good cause,’” Matlock said.

Matlock and his officers determined Adair’s air-conditioned garb was in no way illegal, criminal or lewd. Instead, they completely supported the cause and applauded his willingness to see it through.

“He won the bet,” Matlock said. “He wasn’t doing anything bad. He crossed the crosswalk, walked down the sidewalk.”

The fundraiser raised a whopping $44,700 for Jenkins.

“This community is generous, kind, supportive and a whole lot of wonderful,” Roberts said.