A Christmas Story for Thanksgiving

A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness--and a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression / Ted Gup

Ted Gup's story of his grandfather, family secrets, and random acts of kindness.

On Dec. 17, 1933, an ad appeared in The Canton Repository newspaper offering $10 to 75 families in distress. A benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot invited readers to submit a letter describing their struggles. He promised to keep the letter writers’ identities secret “until the very end.” In 2008, Ted Gup discovered the letters in a trunk and learned that Mr. Virdot was his grandfather, Sam Stone. He had kept the letters and the secret until the end.

Many families wrote of their need for food or fuel; others wanted to buy a toy for their child or a set of encyclopedias. Gup tracked down the writers or their descendants, discovering that his grandfather’s gifts had an enormous impact on the recipients. Gup eventually hosted a gathering for his grandfather's beneciaries; ninety-year-old Helen Palm was the last living recipient of Mr. Stone's gift. (Read about the event at The New York Times).

Gup also learned more of his grandfather’s secrets. Stone was a Romanian Jewish immigrant who had survived a terrible childhood of poverty and abuse. He made every effort, legal and illegal, to assimilate into American society and eventually became a successful businessman.

As we gather for Thanksgiving, may we be truly grateful to God for our blessings and ever mindful of the needs of others.