April 8, 1969
Tuesday, April 8, 1969
Dear Larry:
I haven’t had a chance to write to you in the last few days so I thought I had better get on the ball. We haven’t had any mail from you. The last letter we got from you was written the 20th of March, so I keep hoping everyday. Artie Crawford brought the mail today and I asked him when he was going to bring me a letter from you. He said that I should send you some postcards, but I said I didn’t know whether it would do any good or not to do that.
February 25, 1969
Tuesday, February 25, 1969
Time 8:30 night
Hi Larry,
How are you? Fine, I hope. Karl is watching Julia. Gosh! There’s been a lot of new shows that came on since you were gone. There’s Julia, Here Come the Brides, there’s a lot of others but I can’t think of them now. Most of them are good.
Daddy went bowling. Mommy went to bingo, and Carol went to the pep club. That’s something like a cheerleader. The only basketball game that we went to was Madison vs. Anderson. Daddy said, then we could see Anderson, and Madison. Madison Heights didn’t win though.
February 24, 1969
Monday, February 24, 1969
7:00 P.M.
Dear Larry:
I got home about a half hour ago from my driver’s training, so I though I would write you a few lines. We drove around the parking lot across the street from the High School Gym. I need a lot of practice on my turns, so I will have to have Dad take me out to practice. Mr. Carter said that next week we will go out on the road, so keep your fingers crossed.
January 25, 1969
January 25, 1969
Dear Larry:
Well, here I am again and I don’t know if I should even be writing to you as I don’t even know if you are getting my mail or not. I just cannot believe that we haven’t heard from you in so long. The last letter you wrote to us was dated the 29th of December. I don’t want you to think that I am giving you the devil, because I am only a concerned parent, and I sure would be a heck of a parent if I didn’t care. I know that you probably get tired of writing everyday, but heavens, I think that at least we could hear from you more often than we do. I have a lot of people ask about you and I don’t know what to tell them since we don’t get mail. I can’t even get Dad to write. He said that he doesn’t hear from you, so why should he write. I just can’t be that way. I feel like I want to write to you whether you write or not. Like I said, I would be a heck of a mother if I didn’t care, and I will keep on writing to you and just hope that we get a letter soon. Everyday I keep hoping. I know that you probably think that I am giving you the devil, but I don’t want you to think that because all I ever look forward to is to see you get home and away from Vietnam.
January 14, 1969
January 14, 1969
Tuesday 10 A.M.
Dear Larry:
Well, here I am again with a few lines to let you know all is well here and hope you are the same. We haven’t heard from you in some time again, but I keep hoping for a letter soon.
It is still cold as ever in Anderson, with snow on the ground and the streets are still slick. The kids went back to school yesterday, but the buses are slow coming around to pick them up. It’s been slick and cold since the first of the year. The weatherman said today that it is supposed to get a little warmer. I sure hope so, then maybe it will melt some of the slick spots. When we go out now, we have to walk on needles and pins to keep from falling. Ha.
Anderson, Indiana’s The Herald Bulletin Publishes Article About Letters to Larry
On May 30, 2011, Memorial Day, the Herald Bulletin published an article (written by April Abernathy) about Letters to Larry. The Herald Bulletin is a daily newspaper that serves Anderson, Indiana, Larry’s hometown (and the location where most of these letters were written).
Below are some comments posted on that page:
“This is such a wonderful tribute to a parent and a family story. Friends and I first became aware of ‘Dear Larry’ when alum shared it on the Facebook page ‘I Graduated From The Original Anderson High School’. It’s sentimental and emotional and caring.”
-Anonymous
It was so nice to read this article. I knew Larry back in the day. I always enjoyed his company! We played pick up football games in the ‘Acre’ all the time. If someone said ‘Rudy’ was coming to play we all knew it was going to be a tough day. He was as tuff as they come and always played hard. We all respected him for that. The last time I saw him we talked about the good old days !When he passed it was a shock. A good guy who is missed by many!!!!
-Ed Melton, Englewood, Florida
The article can be viewed below or at this link.
Charlie, The Mailman, 1955
This 1955 photograph shows Larry’s father, Charlie, who was a mailman for many years in Anderson, Indiana. He is standing on the sidewalk leading to their home. Charlie passed away in 1985.
New Album Features Music Inspired by Larry
Jeff Rudolf, Larry Rudolf’s son, is debuting an album with his new band Sam at Eleven (along with bandmates Adam Bryant and Brad Gilbert). While the album, titled The Year We Won, features 11 songs, three of the songs in particular are about and inspired by Larry. “An Hour to Anderson” deals directly with the death of Larry while “There’s This Lake” and “Why We Care So Much” chronicle different instances Larry shared with his sons Jeff and Cory. Incidentally, the album itself displays a photo of Larry while he was a high school football player.
You can listen to all three songs below. The full album can be downloaded digitally for the price of your choosing (yes, even free) or can be ordered in physical form from http://samateleven.bandcamp.com/
January 18, 1968
Thursday
January 18, 1968
Dear Larry:
It is 9 A.M. so I thought I had better get started on your letter early as I sip on my tea. Dad took the letter I wrote yesterday when he went to work this morning. He was going to buy a book of stamps and put [them] in it, so by now you should have the stamps and they should last you for a while. I hope no one steals them if they are so hard to get. Uncle Tom just left so I had to take time out. He told me to tell you hello and that he would write to you as soon as he gets a chance. He said he didn’t expect you to write to him for he knows you can’t write to everyone, Aunt Mary said the same thing, so if you ever get any mail from them, let me know so I can tell them that you got their letter.
January 17, 1968
Wednesday
January 17, 1968
Dear Larry:
Received your letter and am very glad to hear from you. We were beginning to think you forgot about us. As you know, we all miss you around here. I even miss you teasing the kids and Schmulick. I was thinking that you would call last Sunday so I hurried home from the meeting. I am sorry I missed talking to you the Sunday that you called. I suppose Joanna told you that we went to a Polish mass at Kokomo, Ind.
