Meet 'Babe' Manns: The Gum Man

On Sundays for nearly half a century, one man has stood in front of his church and handed out sticks of gum.
Friday, August 17, 2007 | 2:00 p.m. CDT; updated 9:32 a.m. CDT, Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Just before the Sunday service, the Gum Man stood at the entrance of Olivet Christian Church. He wore thick-framed, old-fashioned glasses, a checkered shirt, light-blue pants and brown boots. He was holding a wooden walking stick and a green John Deere cap. The big smile on his face was inviting. Ninety-one-year-old Babe Manns stood there like a sturdy old oak, full of life.

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