Submitted photo Tom “T.J.” McGlynn of Hubbard, a motorcoach operator for Anderson Coach and Travel in Greenville, Pa., was named the 2020 American Bus Association Motorcoach Driver of the Year.

HUBBARD — Longtime motorcoach operator Tom “T.J.” McGlynn said every tour feels like a road trip “but just with 50 people behind you.”

The Hubbard man has logged more than 2 million miles in 36 years as a driver for Anderson Coach and Travel of Greenville, Pa. — all without picking up a single moving violation.

He does have a couple busloads of stories from the road. Some stand out more than others.

“I remember I was taking a group to a birthday party at a private adult club. Suddenly one of the riders, a very nice, professional lady, stormed out of the establishment and back onto the bus, angrily,” he said. “Turns out a member of her office staff was moonlighting there.”

McGlynn said he loves his job, especially “the people and the nice places we get to go, plus the great vehicles we get to drive.”

It’s never boring because, even though he’s gotten to know the common routes well, he transports his passengers to a wide variety of destinations.

His favorite? Branson, Missouri. In fact, he drove that route so often he became friends with George Osmond, the late patriarch of the Osmonds at their family theater, a destination on the Branson trip.

“You can only do the show so many times, so we used to sit out front and shoot the breeze,” McGlynn said.

His travels also introduced him to Bobby Vinton’s son Chris and one very special singer — Janet Lennon. “She was the Lennon sister I had the biggest crush on as a kid,” he said with a smile.

His latest story: McGlynn was selected from more than 70 nominees from across the country to be named the 2020 American Bus Association Motorcoach Driver of the Year. He received the award Jan. 12 at the annual ABA Marketplace in Omaha, Neb.

The national honor is sponsored by Motor Coach Industries and was established last year to recognize drivers who “go above and beyond their duties providing safe travels to passengers across the nation.”

Company President Doug Anderson said he nominated McGlynn because of his professionalism, dedication, extensive skills and intimate knowledge of the industry.

“Tom has been a resource to everyone in our organization,” Anderson said. “He’s been involved with our rigorous driver training program for more than 25 years, serves as a mentor to all our operators and is a useful resource for our entire team from dispatch to sales to operations.”

Anderson Safety Manager Evan Anderson said the company has received more than 300 requests from customers for McGlynn to be their driver in the past two years alone.

A Vietnam War veteran, McGlynn said he was taking college courses when he “got a letter from President (Lyndon) Johnson, who needed help in southeast Asia.” Drafted into the Army, he was sent overseas twice (both brief stints) during his two-year tour of duty.

Once he returned home, he ultimately ended up driving trucks for the Federal Reserve Bank on a route that spanned a wide region throughout Wisconsin, the Dakotas and Montana.

“Those were some long days in the box,” he said. “The truck I drove for the Fed was four feet shorter than a motorcoach.” He noted that it’s “much different dealing with people instead of things.”

Cutbacks caused him to be laid off from his job “hauling money,” so he attended training classes for driving a Greyhound bus. He said at the end of the coursework, he realized he’d be crossing picket lines to slide into the bus driver seat. “I just left and went home.”

Back in Minneapolis, he worked for a friend’s delivery service for a short time. By 1984, he’d moved to Harmonsburg, Pa., to a farmstead with his former brother-in-law and family.

McGlynn moved to Hubbard in 2005, the same year he married his wife, Helen. They have seven children ranging in age from 28 to 52 and 16 grandchildren. The youngest in the brood is their great-granddaughter, who is just 18 months old.

He said Hubbard is home, and when he’s not behind the wheel, you’ll find him there spending time with his family.

Over the decades, McGlynn earned every award up for grabs from Anderson, including the prestigious Alaskan Highway Award — twice. The award was inspired by an eventful 1975 tour to Alaska with founder O.D. Anderson at the helm when the coach suddenly encountered washed-out roads, detours to logging trails and delays.

Based on that experience, the Alaskan Highway Award “is given when drivers excel under extenuating circumstances, which Tom most certainly does,” Doug Anderson said.

He also was selected for the Dot Anderson award, named in honor of the founding matriarch, who was known as the company’s very own “department of transportation.” An awardee must exhibit the skills and professionalism necessary to foresee and prevent an incident that would have endangered or inconvenienced passengers or the public.

McGlynn also was named the Pennsylvania Bus Association Driver of Distinction in 1999 and 2011 and served as a member of the Summit Volunteer Fire Department in Crawford County while living in Conneautville, Pa.

“Motorcoach drivers are the face and backbone of our industry,” said ABA president and CEO Peter Pantuso. “They deliver millions of passengers safely each year to their destinations providing the utmost in customer service. People always remember their driver and the experience they had with them on a trip.”