Secret Santa Reveals His Identity

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Pipp

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This story made me cry... Another one for my heroes list.

Secret Santa Reveals His Identity
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
Associated Press Writer

November 18, 2006, 3:13 AM EST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For 26 years, a man known only as Secret Santa hasroamed the streets every December quietly giving people money.

He started with $5 and $10 bills. As his fortune grew, so did thegifts. In recent years, Secret Santa has been handing out $100 bills,sometimes two or three at a time, to people in thrift stores, dinersand parking lots.

But now, weak from chemotherapy and armed with a desire to pass on hisbelief in random kindness, Secret Santa has decided it's time to revealhis identity.

He is Larry Stewart, a 58-year-old businessman from the Kansas Citysuburb of Lee's Summit, Mo., who made his millions in cable televisionand long-distance telephone service.

His holiday giving started in December 1979 when he was nursing hiswounds at a drive-in restaurant after getting fired. It was the secondyear in a row he had been fired the week before Christmas.

"It was cold and this car hop didn't have on a very big jacket, and Ithought to myself, `I think I got it bad. She's out there in this coldmaking nickels and dimes,'" he said.

He gave her $20 and told her to keep the change.

"And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flowdown her cheeks. She said, `Sir, you have no idea what this means tome.'"

Stewart went to the bank that day and took out $200, then drove aroundlooking for people who could use a lift. That was his "Christmaspresent to himself." He's hit the streets each December since.

While Stewart has also given money to other community causes in KansasCity and his hometown of Bruce, Miss., he offers the simple gifts ofcash because it's something people don't have to "beg for, get in linefor, or apply for."

That was a feeling he came to know in the early '70s when he was livingout of his yellow Datsun 510. Hungry and tired, Stewart mustered thenerve to approach a woman at a church and ask for help.

The woman told him the person who could help was gone for the day, and Stewart would have to come back the next day.

"As I turned around, I knew I would never do that again," Stewart said.

Over the years, Stewart's giving as Secret Santa grew. He started a Website. He allowed the news media to tag along, mostly because he wantedto hear about the people who received the money. Reporters had to agreeto guard his identity and not name his company, which he still does notwant revealed.

His entourage grew over the years, and he began traveling with specialelves. People like the late Negro Leagues icon Buck O'Neil, who handedout hugs while Stewart doled out $100s. NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkuswill join Stewart this year in Chicago when Stewart hands out $100s inhonor of O'Neil, the first African-American coach in the Major Leagues.

They'll give out $100,000 between Chicago and Kansas City. Four SecretSantas who Stewart "trained" will hand out an additional $65,000.

Doctors told Stewart in April that he had cancer of the esophagus andit had spread to his liver. He has been lucky, he says, to get into aclinical trial at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But theaggressive chemotherapy has stripped away his appetite and energy. He'slost about 100 pounds, but has held onto his white hair.

The treatment costs more than $16,000 a month, not including the costof traveling to Houston every two weeks and staying there for five orsix days. He now has two months off, but returns to treatment inFebruary.

His insurance company won't cover the cost of the treatment, which has left him concerned about his finances and his family.

Now, his mission is bigger than handing out $100 bills. Stewart wantsto speak to community groups about his devotion to kindness and toinspire others to donate their time and money.

"That's what we're here for," Stewart says, "to help other people out."

* __

On the Net:

http://secretsantausa.com/
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070113/ap_on_re_us/obit_secret_santa

:bigtears:

Man known as Secret Santa dies in Mo.

By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer


KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Larry Stewart, a millionaire who became known asSecret Santa for his habit of roaming the streets each December andanonymously handing money to people, died Friday. He was 58.

Stewart died from complications from esophageal cancer, said Jackson County Sheriff Tom Phillips, a longtime friend.

Stewart, who spent 26 years giving a total $1.3 million, gainedinternational attention in November when he revealed himself as SecretSanta. He was diagnosed in April with cancer, and said he wanted to usehis celebrity to inspire other people to take random kindness seriously.

"That's what we're here for," Stewart said in a November interview, "to help other people out."

Stewart, from the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit, made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.

His private holiday giving started in December 1979 when he was at adrive-in restaurant nursing his wounds from having been fired. It wasthe second year in a row he had been fired the week before Christmas.

"It was cold and this carhop didn't have on a very big jacket, and Ithought to myself, `I think I got it bad. She's out there in this coldmaking nickels and dimes,'" he said. He gave her $20 and told her tokeep the change.

After that, Stewart hit the streets each December, handing out money,often $100 bills, sometimes two and three at a time. He also gave moneyto community causes in Kansas City and his hometown of Bruce, Miss.

Stewart said he offered the simple gifts of cash every year because itwas something people didn't have to "beg for, get in line for, or applyfor."

Stewart gave out $100,000 between Chicago and Kansas City in December.Four Secret Santas whom Stewart "trained" gave out another $65,000
 
Oh, I'm so sad to hear that...

:sad:

He sure did live a good life, though...with all he did for others. What a wonderful, wonderful man.

:rose:
 

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