An elderly man sent a handwritten letter to the London, Ky, Police Chief, thanking him for an act of kindness done by the department seven decades ago.
A young couple’s trip to London for the first time would have turned out to be a bitter experience if not for the kindness shown to them. Police Chief Darrel Kilburn shares the contents of the handwritten note he received on his desk.
The note read, “To London Police Dept, Back in 1950 my bride and I stopped in your city for lunch & when we left, this little card was under my wiper. For two 17 yr. olds we didn’t have extra money for a parking ticket.”
The note continued, “My wife has carried this card in all her wallets since then & we often talked about how kind your city is. I have lost her & just wanted to send this. Thank you.”
The couple ended up receiving a card instead of a ticket. He said that the department doesn’t give out cards anymore, but he said that small acts of kindness like these are always part of London’s culture.
“Without cards, most of our stops I would say would probably just be giving someone warnings,” Kilburn said. He said that the letter made him emotional. “Little teary-eyed for sure. I just thought how powerful it was,” Kilburn said.
Calling the letter a love letter to the writer’s wife and a city filled with kindness, he said, “He’s heartbroken, but at the same time I can tell he’s been a very blessed man and I’m sure 71 years ago, they’ve had a great life together,” Kilburn said.
It was a story of a man who lost the love of his life who wanted to thank all those who were kind to them when they began their married life together. Chief Kilburn says he will be writing the man a letter soon. He says the department will be creating a memorabilia wall, where they will hang the note front and center.