Santa Joseph Gerard
Joseph “Joe” Gerard was born in Vinton, Iowa in 1868. After his family moved to Texas, he went to work for the railroad in 1885.
Gerard decided in 1901 that he wanted to be Santa but his gift was not to drive a team of reindeer but to drive a locomotive delivering presents to the children along his route. He and his wife would spend money out of their own savings account to buy presents for the children. He would ask local merchants for their old magazines and comic books for presents. According to his co-workers, “Joe was a quiet man, did not talk much, just kept to work. They knew that each gift that he provided to each child was planned well in advance and purchased for each child.”[1]
According to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Gerard never put names on the Christmas presents, just mile-post numbers. This is how he identified the children along his route.
On December 25, 1938, Gerard made his trip wearing a Santa suit distributing presents on his 200-mile route. At the age of 70 he was the second oldest train engineer on the Santa Fe system.[2] He was one of the most widely known railroad men in the Southwestern United States and towards the end of his career folks would fill the passenger cars on Christmas morning just to be part of this tradition. Families would gather at the mile markers to watch the children receive their presents.
On Christmas Day in 1939, he would deliver presents to 26 families.[3] At the age of 73, a year prior to his retirement, the Santa Fe Railroad asked Gerard not to make his normal Christmas Day run due to his health. So, he decided to take it on the road and filled his car with all the presents and meeting everyone in person along his route.
Gerard completed his final trip on the railroad as Santa in 1942 and retired from the Santa Fe railroad after working for them for 57 years. According to the available records, he played Santa on the railways for 41 years.
He passed away on May 28, 1947 in Cleburne, Texas.[4]
On December 22, 2017, Joseph “Joe” Gerard was inducted, posthumously, into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.[5]
References
- ↑ Baker, T. L. (1988, December 24). Here Comes Santa Claus Down Track. Victoria Advocate, p. 49.
- ↑ Agee, W. (1938, December 25). Veteran Cleburne Engineer Will Pull Throttle on North-Bound 'Santa Claus Special' Today. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, p. 1.
- ↑ McMullen, J. (1939, December 25). Santa of Rails Spreads Cheer. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, p. 2.
- ↑ Santa Fe's Santa Claus for 41 Years is Dead. (1947, May 28). Fort Worth Star - Telegram.
- ↑ Joseph “Joe” Gerard. (2017, December 22). Retrieved May 9, 2020, from https://www.santaclaushall.com/2017-inductees/joseph-joe-gerard/
This article "Santa Joseph Gerard" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Santa Joseph Gerard. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
