A 9-year-old boy who loves writing letters has been reaching out to ordinary heroes, asking them to share their most precious memories and revive lost literary traditions.
“I enjoy writing letters to people,” Tucker Rose from North Carolina told Dajiyuan. “I like checking the mail.”
Tucker is the only boy among six siblings, spending a lot of time with his father, Daniel Rose, who provides him with opportunities and resources to grow and make a difference in the world. Mr. Rose also shares his hobbies with his son, passing down traditions from his own upbringing.
Writing letters has been a hobby of Mr. Rose since high school. He once wrote to baseball players asking for their signatures on his baseball cards, and they obliged. “I thought it was the coolest thing, who would have thought you could get the signature of your favorite player like that?” Mr. Rose said.
Inspired by this, he became hooked on letter writing. He started writing to movie stars and received responses. He considered the “coolest” reply he got was from Millvina Dean, a survivor of the Titanic.
On Tucker’s first birthday, Mr. Rose, in line with his old hobby, wrote to different bands requesting guitar picks as mementos for his son. In total, he received five responses. As Tucker grew older, he became increasingly curious about those guitar picks. He inquired about the origin of those letters from his father and then begged for more letters to be sent.
At the age of four, Mr. Rose began teaching Tucker how to write his own name. Once the homeschooled boy mastered this skill, his father encouraged him to learn more words. Together, they continued writing letters to their admired individuals.
With a plethora of responses, Mr. Rose took the opportunity to teach Tucker how to read.
Before long, Tucker insisted on opening the mailbox himself and, upon tearing open the letters, would immerse himself in reading. He started learning complex words like “Afghanistan.”
As he grew older, Tucker and his father exchanged more letters. He even received replies from notable personalities such as actor Jon Voight, who played the lead role in the 2004 film “National Treasure,” and Tina Louise, known for her role as Ginger in “Gilligan’s Island.”
Reading their responses, Mr. Rose and Tucker began to understand what they considered valuable.
From Jon Voight, they learned about how his father used to read bedtime stories to him and his siblings every night, igniting his passion for performance.
While Tina Louise’s letter did not mention her television experiences, she encouraged Tucker to read more books.
“Connecting with people from other professions is cool, ‘I do this, but my heart is really here,'” Mr. Rose said. “Sometimes, they open up about their personal lives and what makes them happy, providing deep insights.”
The coolest reply that Tucker received, according to Mr. Rose, was a two-page handwritten letter from a lady who rode a bus with civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
“She talked about how the two of them used to work at the Montgomery Fair department store together, and she told the story from her perspective of what happened on the bus,” Mr. Rose said.
Mr. Rose mentioned that these letters are categorized in three-ring binders, with each folder containing 35 letters. They are stored in a fireproof safe in the garage. In addition to handwritten letters, Tucker also received guitar picks from famous guitarists like Carlos Santana and bands like Goo Goo Dolls, Sister Hazel, and Diamond Rio.
However, Tucker’s letter writing is not limited to correspondence with celebrities.
In 2021, when the Roses moved to Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, near Camp Lejeune, they discovered an organization called “Military Missions in Action” (MMIA). This is a veteran-run organization that sends care packages to deployed troops around the world.
Upon seeing the opportunity to write letters to deployed troops, Mr. Rose asked Tucker if he was interested, and Tucker enthusiastically agreed.
After some discussion, they found sending 1,000 letters to be a challenging but achievable goal. A local business donated paper and envelopes, and Tucker got to work, signing his name on each printed letter.
The first batch of letters sent received approximately 30 to 40 responses, encouraging Tucker to continue writing. This time, he sent out 2,000 letters, signing his name on 100 letters daily.
In the letters Tucker sent to deployed troops, he wrote:
“My name is Tucker. I enjoy writing to those of you I have admired since I was nine years old. My dad is typing this letter for me. Our family has a long history of military service, and I am privileged to thank you for serving the country. Our family members have been deployed multiple times, and we understand and appreciate the sacrifices you make. I am proud to work with the Military Missions In Action (MMIA) organization and have my letters placed in your care packages. My personal goal is to send out 2,000 letters. I hope my efforts bring smiles to you. We thank you and pray for your safety and strength. My dad says writing letters can help me practice writing my own name and open up to strangers in a safe way, teaching me to respect others, a lesson I will keep for life. One of my favorite things to do every day is to check the mail. I love finding letters addressed to ‘Tucker.’ I include a return envelope with each letter. If you can reply, I would be delighted if you could tell me some of your happiest memories in life. My dad hopes I will have many positive role models like you as I grow up. I will cherish your handwritten replies and share them with my future children.”
Every September, Tucker also writes hand-written letters to 9/11 survivors and victims’ families, which has become a tradition.
“It’s just a way of saying to them, ‘Hey, you are not forgotten, your loved ones are not forgotten, we miss you,'” Mr. Rose said. “It’s a way for him to grow with these people. Each year, they receive another letter from him, seeing how he writes, what he writes, the progress in the content of what he is writing. Hoping that he will spend a lifetime with these specific groups.”
Mr. Rose highlighted the importance of these experiences and interactions for Tucker, playing a crucial role in his and his siblings’ upbringing. They provide an excellent opportunity to learn about selflessness and giving back.