“Operation Postcard” is mission accomplished — at least the French Lick version of it, anyway.
A few weeks ago, we received an unexpected blast from the
past in the mail: a vintage postcard of French Lick Springs Hotel, dated 1928. It
came from Lowell Joerg, who’s made a hobby of this for the past 30 years: acquiring
historical postcards, and sending them back to the properties where they originated.
A hobby was born. And it’s one that continues three decades
later for Lowell, who lives at a senior living center in Stockton, California.
Lowell doesn’t get replies from all the postcards he helps
send home. And that’s fine by him. It’s just something he does for fun, and to
keep his mind sharp. He just turned 94 years old—the same age as the French
Lick postcard, postmarked October 14, 1928. Who knows how this postcard
survived the years, but from the meticulous script handwriting to the 1 cent
stamp attached to it, this is an unmistakably cool relic from days gone by.
A portion of Lowell’s letter to us reads:
Good morning:
“Time has come round,” wrote Shakespeare, and indeed it
has…
Some time ago I was at an antique store and found this
circa 1920s picture card of your beautiful hotel. Now it’s back home again.
Lots of changes over the years, I suppose.
I said to myself, “by golly, I’ll send it back where it
can be appreciated.” Heritage is important. Enlarged and posted it will start a
nice conversation.
My dear wife, now passed, used to laugh at me and say,
“if you hear from those folks, you’ll have to take me to lunch.”
On June 26th I’ll be celebrating my 94th
birthday. I don’t know where all that time went. But thank goodness I’m still
going strong “as far as I know.”
I like to call my little hobby a “redistribution of
happiness.” Our world sure needs it.
Here’s wishing you and the staff all the very best.
We repaid the favor to Lowell, sending back a package of
French Lick Resort souvenirs — including a couple modern-day postcards. Cheers
to Lowell and many more years of redistributing happiness all over the country,
one postcard at a time.