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Show 8 Special Edition December 2, 1992 Once upon a Christmas... How Rudolph came fo be On a December night in Chicago several years ago, a little girl climbed onto her daddy's lap and asked a question. It was a simple question, asked with a child's curiosity, yet it had a heart-rending effect on Robert May. "Daddy," 4-year-old Barbara asked, "Why isn't my Mommy just like everybody else's mommy?" 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 small savings had gone to pay for treatments and medicines. The terrible ordeal had shattered their 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. May was a lowly copy writer for Montgomery Ward, the big Chicago mail order house. Now 33, May was deep in debt, depressed and sad. Although May didn't know it at the time, the answer he gave the tousled haired child on his lap was to bring him fame and fortune. It was also to bring joy to countless thousands of children like his own Barbara. On that December night mm m Be a big winner two ways. First, by selling your books for cash. Second by playing "Cash For Books Bonanza." Get a free game card when you sell your books back. Then simply scratch off the prize area to see if you're an instant winner. Stop by the bookstore for a complete list of prizes, rules and regulations nmrn No purchase is necessary. Offer void in the shabby Chicago apartment, May cradled his little girl's head against his shoulder and began to tell a story. "Once upon a rime 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 May 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," May explained, "was terribly embarrassed by his unique nose. Other reindeer laughed at him. His mother and father and sisters were mortified too. Even Rudolph wallowed in self pity." '"Why was I born with such a terrible nose?'" he cried. "Well," continued May, "one Christmas Eve, Santa Claus got his team of husky reindeer ready for their yearly great trip around the world, 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 chimneys'."Suddenly Rudolph appeared, his red nose glowing brighter than f I ' : Si n Ve buy o!l books wish current market velue GflSE3 P0C2 03EIS EGinS ESGGGEV3GGE2 3rd where prohibited. ever. Santa sensed atonce 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 be-, loved 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 since that Christmas, Rudolph has been living serene and happy." Little Barbara laughed with glee when her father had finished. Every night she begged him to repeat the tale until finally May could rattle it off in his sleep. One Christmas season he decided to make the story into a poem like "The Night Before Christmas" and prepare it in book form, illustrated with crude pictures for Barbara's personal gift. Night after night, May worked on the verses after Barbara had gone to bed for he was determined his daughtershould have a worthwhile gift, even though he could not af- 4 Em riCVQLE FOR CASH m ford to buy one. As May was about to put the finishing touches on R u d o 1 p h , tragedy struck. Evelyn May died. May sat at his desk in the quiet, lonely apartment and worked on "Rudolph" with tears in his eyes. Shortly after Barbara had cried with joy over his handsome gift on Christ--mas morning. May . was asked to an employee's holiday party at Montgomery Ward. He didn'twantto go, but his of-ficeassociatedinsisted. When May finally agreed, he took with him the poem and read it to the crowd. At first the noisy throng listened in laughter, then they became silent. At the end, the crowd broke into spontaneous applause. That was 1938. Dozens asked for copies, and Montgomery Ward made "Rudolph" booklets and gave them as a free gift the next Christmas, 1939. There were more than two million copies given away. The next year they printed three million copies and sold them. Montgomery Ward owned the copyright and May didn't get any of the money, but he was happy that his little girl and millions of other children loved Rudolph. When World Warll was over, Montgomery Ward planned a new Rudolph book forChristmas 1946. They alsodecided to turn thecopy-right back to May so he could receive all the money tha t was made. : By Christmas of 1947, some 6mil--; lion copies of the book had been given away or sold, making Rudolph one of the most widely distributed books in the world. The whole country went wild over the "Red-nosed Reindeer." HOMELESS (continued from page 2) and state funding has forced the state hospital to put a lot of people onto the streets. Shelters like St. Anne's fill a vital role in giving these people a place to go. The Ogden Rotary Club is building bookshelves for the new shelter, but donations of reading materials and activities for children, such as coloring books and games, are needed. Mincy has been in contact with the Literacy Center at Weber State University and says the shelter, through their women's pro- J? Companies 'asked permission to make Rudolph toys, slippers, skirts, jewelry, lamps, and such. A recording was made by the Victor Company. Maxton Pub- k-lishers bought the right to make a book. Parker Brothers brought out a game. Ringling Circus showed a pony with antlers and an electrically lighted nose. The Rudolph song went on sale. Rudolph-sponsored products increased so muchinvariety and number that educators and historians predicted Rudolph would come to occupy a permanent niche in the Christmas legend. May's fortune was made, and his future bright and happy. He began to laugh again. In 1941 he married Virginia Newton and had several children. As Christmas rolls around each year, he recalls with thankfulness the December night when Barbara asked why her mommy at was different and hopes that the story has taughtmany people that if we spend time helping others, we will soon forget to think so much about ourselves. gram, will be helping women get their GEDs and preparing themselves for a job. "Some of these people are under educated. Some need to get theirhighschooldiplomasand others need to return to school and be retrained for employment," Mincy said. She said shp understands returning to school to gain an education can provide a person with a future. Following her divorce, she realized she needed the tools to surviveand earned herdegreein social work from WSU. Now she is using her skills to help others get on their feet. |
