Ben Moeller-Gaa describes his dual life as that of a superhero. By day, he works as a mild-mannered accountant at Sigma-Aldrich, and by night, Ben is an acclaimed haiku poet whose writing is regularly published.
But his latest heroic act extends beyond poetry. In July 2015, Ben generously donated his beloved car for the benefit of St. Louis Public Radio.
We contacted Ben to find out more about his treasured car, why he chose to donate it to STLPR, and to see if he had any verse to describe the experience.
What can you tell us about the car you donated?
It was a 2000 Volkswagen Beetle. I had always had my eye on them when they first re-released them in the 90’s, and it was the first car I ever purchased new. I had it for 15 years, and put it off [getting rid of the car], but it dovetailed nicely when I heard the requests from NPR to donate your car. I said, “This is what needs to happen, this needs to help the station I listen to the most.”
What is your favorite memory in the car?
Probably the first year I had the car. I took a solo vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and went hang gliding. That was a great trip. It took me to where I learned to fly.
When did you start listening to St. Louis Public Radio?
Honestly, I started listening right after 9/11. I discovered NPR when we were all trying to learn as much as we could during that time, and I appreciated the commentary and the coverage. I wanted to learn what was going on, but liked that they didn’t try to make me angry when doing so. I also love Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, All Things Considered…I’ve listened ever since.
What made you donate your car to STLPR specifically?
Well, sometimes there’s a tinge of guilt during pledge drives, but we don’t always have it in the budget to give. This is a great opportunity to give to the station. It’s great local news, national and international too. It was just a perfect fit.
How was it working with Car Talk to donate your vehicle?
After the paperwork, they came out to pick up the car. I handed them my keys, and they took it. A few weeks later, I got a note that they received the car, it sold at auction, and that I’ll be receiving a tax credit for [a minimum of] $500 for it. Wasn’t too bad at all.
Well, we’d be remiss if we didn’t ask you for a haiku about your experience, if you have one…
Sure. Here is the NPR themed piece I've just come up with. Also, contemporary haiku does not use a 5/7/5 syllable count for each line. Just wanted to toss that out there before you started counting syllables:
stuck in traffic
rolling up the windows
for more fresh air.
For more information about donating your vehicle, call (855) 277-2346 to speak with an expert about your vehicle, or click this link to arrange for Car Talk to pick your car as soon as possible!
