According to Pat Motter, “It’s difficult to get Jim to smile.”

But at noon on Friday, we saw a glimpse of a smile on Jim “Duke” Motter. It was during a surprise retirement party for the guy who holds the record for stone tonnage hauled from Bluffton Stone Company’s quarry.

Motter retired after 49 years at Bluffton Stone Co., where he certainly holds several other records like, mileage put on trucks and years of service.

He started at the quarry when Herb Conrad hired him on the asphalt crew in 1969. Everyone who worked with him said he is famous for spreading stone – particularly when he drove backward.

“No one can spread stone like him,” said Larry Hermiller, another Stone Co., employee.

During his stone-hauling career he made trips as far away as Interstate 80, to Wapakoneta, Celina, Upper Sandusky and throughout Putnam County, in addition to his very frequent travels down Bluffton’s Main Street.

He’s also famous for driving truck with the air on full blast while keeping the truck windows rolled down, according to his son Ryan.

His current truck, a 2017 Kenworth T880 has 24,000 miles on it. Before that, he drove a 1996 Mac truck with “Duke” stenciled on the driver’s door. Another vehicle he frequently drove was a Farmall H tractor used to mow the stone quarry’s lawn.

Motter’s family says he loves to trap and expects him to continue trapping when retirement finally sinks in.

The 1963 Bluffton High School grad served in the U.S. Army as an MP for two years prior to being hired at the stone quarry.