Rudolph
On a December night in Chicago several years ago, a
little girl climbed onto her father's lap and asked a
question. It was a simple question, asked in children's
curiosity, yet it had a heart-rending effect on Robert May.
"Daddy," four-year old Barbara asked, "Why isn't my Mommy
just like everybody else's mommy?"
Bob May stole a glance across his shabby two room apartment.
On a couch lay his young wife, Evelyn, racked with cancer.
For two years she had been bedridden; for two years, all
Bob's income and smaller savings had gone to pay for
treatments and medicines.
The terrible ordeal already had shattered two adult lives.
Now Bob suddenly realized the happiness of his growing
daughter was also in jeopardy. As he ran his fingers through
Barbara's hair, he prayed for some satisfactory answer to
her question.
Bob May knew only too well what it meant to be "different."
As a child he had been weak and delicate. With the innocent
cruelty of children, his playmates had continually goaded
the stunted, skinny lad to tears. Later at Dartmouth, from
which he was graduated in 1926, Bob May was so small that he
was always being mistaken for someone's little brother.
Nor was his adult life much happier. Unlike many of his
classmates who floated from college into plush jobs, Bob
became a lowly copy writer for Montgomery Ward, the big
Chicago mail order house. Now at 33 Bob was deep in debt,
depressed and sad.
Although Bob did not know it at the time, the answer he gave
the tousled haired child on his lap was to bring him to fame
and fortune. It was also to bring joy to countless thousands
of children like his own Barbara. On that December night in
the shabby Chicago apartment, Bob cradled his little girl's
head against his shoulder and began to tell a story...
"Once upon a time there was a reindeer named Rudolph, the
only reindeer in the world that had a big red nose.
Naturally people called him "Rudolph the Red Nosed
Reindeer." As Bob went on to tell about Rudolph, he tried
desperately to communicate to Barbara the knowledge that,
even though some creatures of God are strange and different,
they often enjoy the miraculous power to make others happy.
Rudolph, Bob explained, was terribly embarrassed by his
unique nose. Other reindeer laughed at him; his mother and
father and sister were mortified too. Even Rudolph wallowed
in self pity.
"Well," continued Bob, "one Christmas Eve, Santa Claus got
his team of husky reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and
Vixon ready for their yearly trip around the world. The
entire reindeer community assembled to cheer these great
heroes on their way. But a terrible fog engulfed the earth
that evening, and Santa knew that the mist was so thick he
wouldn't be able to find any chimney. Suddenly Rudolph
appeared, his red nose glowing brighter than ever. Santa
sensed at once that here was the answer to his perplexing
problem. He led Rudolph to the front of the sleigh, fastened
the harness and climbed in. They were off! Rudolph guided
Santa safely to every chimney that night. Rain and fog, snow
and sleet; nothing bothered Rudolph, for his bright nose
penetrated the mist like a beacon.
And so it was that Rudolph became the most famous and
beloved of all the reindeer. The huge red nose he once hid
in shame was now the envy of every buck and doe in the
reindeer world. Santa Claus told everyone that Rudolph had
saved the day and from that Christmas, Rudolph has been
living serenely and happy."
Little Barbara laughed with glee when her father finished.
Every night she begged him to repeat the tale until finally
Bob could rattle it off in his sleep. Then, at Christmas
time he decided to make the story into a poem like "The
Night Before Christmas" and prepare it in bookish form
illustrated with pictures, for Barbara's personal gift.
Night after night, Bob worked on the verses after Barbara
had gone to bed for he was determined his daughter should
have a worthwhile gift, even though he could not afford to
buy one... Then as Bob was about to put the finishing
touches on Rudolph, tragedy struck. Evelyn May died. Bob,
his hopes crushed, turned to Barbara as chief comfort. Yet,
despite his grief, he sat at his desk in the quiet, now
lonely apartment, and worked on "Rudolph" with tears in his
eyes.
Shortly after Barbara had cried with joy over his handmade
gift on Christmas morning, Bob was asked to an employee's
holiday party at Montgomery Wards. He didn't want to go, but
his office associates insisted. When Bob finally agreed, he
took with him the poem and read it to the crowd. First the
noisy throng listened in laughter and gaiety. Then they
became silent, and at the end, broke into spontaneous
applause. That was in 1938.
By Christmas of 1947, some 6,000,000 copies of the booklet
had been given away or sold, making Rudolph one of the most
widely distributed books in the world. The demand for
Rudolph sponsored products, increased so much in variety and
number that educators and historians predicted Rudolph would
come to occupy a permanent place in the Christmas legend.
Through the years of unhappiness, the tragedy of his wife's
death and his ultimate success with Rudolph, Bob May has
captured a sense of serenity. And as each Christmas rolls
around he recalls with thankfulness the night when his
daughter, Barbara's questions inspired him to write the
story.
This is a true story. What it doesn't tell, is that he sold
the story to Wards. As far as I know, to this day, Wards
still owns the copyright. Always remember that God has a
reason for everything in this world, what may look like a
tragedy can eventually become great happiness.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.
Thanks to Sherry's Inspirational list smkeith@aol.com