A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty
apartment window into the chilling December night.
His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bob's wife,
Evelyn, was dying of cancer Little Barbara couldn't understand why her
mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked,
"Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?"
Bob's jaw tightened and
his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of
anger. It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different
for Bob.
Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too
little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd
rather not remember. From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.
Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get
his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then
he was blessed with his little girl.
But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's
bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his
daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.
Bob had been asked to create a Christmas pamphlet fro Montgomery Ward and he used the opportunity to give hope to his child.
Bob had created an animal character in his own mind
and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope.
Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling.
Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May
created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created
was a misfit outcast like he was.
The name of the character? A little reindeer
named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.
But the story doesn't end there.
Wards went on to print,_ Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ and distribute it
to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed
and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a
major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated
version of the book.
In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all
rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing
deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became
wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter. But
the story doesn't end there either.
Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph.
Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and
Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry.
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of
"White Christmas."
And Bob May learned the lesson,
just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In
fact, being different can be a blessing.