Whistling Truck Driver Climbs Down From Big Rig to Pucker Up for Contests

Herman Smith, 52, was in Newland Street Church of Christ in Garden Grove the other day whistling the gospel songs “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” and “Because He Lives.”

Congregants called his whistling “inspiring”--not too bad for a guy known as the “Pucker Trucker.”

“I guess I got that name because I drive a big-rig truck for a living and I’m always puckering up and whistling,” said Smith of Westminster, last year’s winner in the novelty division at the World Championship Whistle-Off in Carson City.

He was dressed as a buxom woman. “Besides being a good whistler, you need a gimmick to win,” he said.

In this year’s dual category, he and Jean Hum of Palos Verdes Estates finished second, the first year they competed together.

“I seem to do good in the novelty category,” said Smith, the father of four who also plays piano and organ and at one time raced cars, “but I usually end up fourth or fifth in the regular categories.”

He said a total of 60 whistlers compete in the contemporary, classical, novelty and dual divisions.

Although he has been competing for only six years, Smith said: “I’ve been whistling most my life. I got started when I was 13 or 14 after I heard Bing Crosby whistle in one of his movies.”

Smith feels whistling is a talent, much like singing or playing a musical instrument. “I’ve never had whistling lessons,” he said. He believes he has natural abilities.

While he enjoys performing gospel music in church, his current interest is whistling country music. “People who like that kind of music are relaxed people and can relate to a whistler,” he said.

“I’m usually happy and that’s tough on me,” said Smith, explaining that it’s hard to smile, pucker and whistle at the same time.

Smith said he tried to enter amateur night contests years ago “But when I told them I wanted to whistle, they would laugh at me. They didn’t understand it takes talent to produce a good whistling sound.

“Most people think you just pucker up and whistle but you really have to practice to perfect your style,” he said, noting that competitive whistlers have different methods of whistling. “Some whistlers breathe in and that gives them a different sound. One guy sounded like a flute.”

He said another whistler sounded like a bird.

Although Smith sounds like a regular whistler, he has picked up a second moniker besides “The Pucker Trucker.”

He’s known on his truck citizens band radio as “Tweety Bird.”

Animals at the Santa Ana Zoo, used to having people look at them, surely were cracking up looking at an estimated 5,000 humans walking around looking like cookies.

“It was part of the fun,” said Louise Hamilton of Santa Ana, one of the coordinators of the recent zoo fund-raiser that had 14 volunteer cookie makers dressed in cookie costumes.

It was cleverly called a Cookie Safari and raised more than $25,000.

And get this. They had a Zookieland Express there.

An advertisement in a south Orange County newspaper had this touching message:

“Mom: Congratulations. One year sober. Always knew you could do it. You are a beautiful, strong woman. I’m very proud of you. Keep it up. I love you very much. Your daughter, Lynn.”

First you have to accept the fact that your handwriting is a reflection of your physical, mental and emotional makeup.

Then, says graphologist Betty Gilliland of Santa Ana, when you change your handwriting, you change your personality. And that lessens stress within you that was built up when you were taught handwriting.

“Handwriting in schools is done in a certain rigid way and that creates stress,” she said. “So if you reverse or change it, you reduce stress.” Gilliland holds free classes at the Anaheim Cultural Arts Center called “Stress: Common Causes and Uncommon Solutions.” She noted that not everyone believes in her theory.

Acknowledgments--Sally Garich of Santa Ana was presented “Outstanding Contributions to Education Award” by the Orange County Department of Education for her work as community school volunteer, which includes teaching tennis to special education students for the past 18 years.