Salina Honors Its Beloved Town 'Cheerleader'

In small towns, mascots mean a lot. In Salina, the school mascot is the Wildcats.

But the town mascot is Lee Boy Shrum.

He dressed up as the Easter bunny and Santa's helper.

He's the biggest cheerleader the Wildcats ever had, but he's really all about Salina, the town, and cheering on everyone else.

Josh:  "It's Lee Boy, so he's just special."

Tena: "The No. 1 Wildcat fan, I'm telling you right now."

Tony: "If everybody had a heart like Lee Shrum, this would be a better world."

A few days ago, the people of Salina decided to do something to really show how much Lee Boy really means to their town. Whatever it was, it had to be on Main Street, because he's such a fixture there.  And if anybody loves a parade, it's Lee Boy.

Businesses closed down, and the Salina police and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol led off a parade of cars that stretched most of a mile.

But the parade to honor Lee Boy was a procession, just after his funeral.

They gathered at the high school gym, some of the people who thought as much of Lee Boy as he thought of them.

They didn't bother separating friends from family, because everyone considered him family.

He was simple-minded and spent his life doing odd jobs, walking up and down Main Street with a Bible and a shopping cart.

He had worn the wheels off several of them, and in the process, won the hearts of an entire town.

Carol: "You came to town, you saw Lee."

Tena: "Probably the sweetest, most innocent soul you've ever seen in your life."

His family was part of his cheering section.

"There [were] no problems for Lee," relative Michele Condit said. "Life was just easy and happy for him. He didn't worry about anything."

So the town raised money for his funeral -- a final way to do a little for Lee Boy, who they believe did so much for them.