December 6, 1939By: John Beilun / Time TravelerChicago, January 1939. The Great Depressioncontinued unabated.Despite having graduated Phi Betta Kappafrom Dartmouth College thirteen years earlier, Robert May toiled asa poorly paid copywriter for a department store. He, his wife Evelynand their four-year old daughter Barbara lived in what was essentiallya hovel. It offered scant respite from Lake Michigan’s bitter winds. Tomake matters worse, Evelyn was dying from cancer and spent her daysin agony.Robert’s employer, Montgomery Ward, had a custom of buying andgiving away coloring books at Christmas. In 1938, their number hadgrown to two million.To cut expenses, Robert’s supervisor recommended that the companyproduce its own book and give that out in the future. Managementloved the idea. And, indifferent to Evelyn’s condition as well as Robertbeing Jewish, they told him to create one in time for next Christmas.Robert didn’t think he could do it. However, not having been steepedin Christmas tradition was actually an advantage. Robert could, anddid, think out of the box.He reflected upon his childhood, when he had been picked on forbeing small, shy and far from athletic. He also thought about howmuch his daughter enjoyed animated animal stories - especially theone about an ugly duckling.With this in mind, Robert decided to write a story about a cartoonanimal. But he couldn’t figure out what kind. Not until he rememberedhow much Barbara loved to visit the deer during her trips to the zoo.He didn’t think that your garden variety deer would do. No. It had tobe a different kind of deer. A reindeer.And, like Robert, it had to be an underdog. Then, recalling the tale ofthe ugly duckling, he also felt thathis protagonist should have somesort of deformity.Robert then toyed with names.He initially considered Rollo, thenReginald, before finally settlingon Rudolph.Now it was time to work onthe story. Because Barbara lovednursery rhymes, Robert decided to use rhyming couplets.Then, he began writing and re-writing, and reading and re-readinghis efforts to his daughter. Slowly improving with each attempt.All the while, Evelyn’s cancer continued to spread until she mercifullypassed away in July. Awash in tears, Robert made an all out effort toperfect his poem; not only in memory of his wife but also for the sakeof his daughter.By August, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was complete. However,because of its connotation with insobriety, it took a lot of arm-twistingfor management to accept the red nose.And, it was not quite the same story that Gene Autrey and Burl Iveshave led us to believe. You see, Rudolph didn’t grow up at the NorthPole. Instead, he was raised by his mom and dad in a forest, where theylived in a reindeer “village.”Santa didn’t come onto the scene until one very foggy Christmas Eve.He discovered Rudolph by accident when, while delivering presents, henoticed a glow coming from the reindeer’s room. Concerned about theweather, Santa asked Rudolph to light the way.Montgomery Ward began distributing booklets about Rudolph onDecember 6, 1939. It issued two and a half million before running out.And that marvelous reindeer has been with us ever since.38December 2019
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