this is the true story of rudolph the red nosed reindeer.




"True Story of Rudolph"

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. Bobs
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 struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even
afford to
buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined
a
make one - a storybook! 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. Bob finished the book just in time to
give it to
his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn't end there.

The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little
storybook
and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the
book.
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 an d became a phenomenal
success,
selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception
of "White
Christmas."

The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago
kept on
returning back to bless him again and again. 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.

Merry Christmas 2008