Person:James Rhude (1)

For nearly four decades, James Friedly Rhude served the Crothersville community as its only or primary letter carrier, an occupation which endeared him to hundreds of its citizens over the years.

Born in Scott County, James was the first child of Franklin B. Rude and his second wife, Blanche E. Lambert. Within a few years the family moved to Jackson County where three of James' siblings died in infancy and his mother succumbed to tuberculosis when he was just 11 years old. But James and a younger brother, Floyd W., survived the hardships of those early years living with their father in a number of locations in Vernon Township.

An unusually bright youngster, James did well in school. Sympathetic teachers arranged assistance for the family in a variety of ways. It was one of those same teachers who suggested that he add an "H" to his name. Eager to please, he obliged and spelled the name RHUDE from about age 12 on.

Soon after graduation from high school he took the civil service exam and was awarded the postal service job he held for the remainder of his life. He married Lucille Briner in 1937 and together they reared a son and two daughters. All three went on to become valedictorians of their respective classes of Crothersville High School and all three taught school for a number of years.

James and Lucille were active in the First Baptist Church of Crothersville and James was an ordained deacon of the church for many years. He died of a heart attack in September of 1971 just a few weeks before he was to retire from the postal service.

Floyd Rhude, James' younger brother, states in a letter to "Bob" Rhude, James' son,"...I always felt that most of our relatives were about as poor as we were, and that was at the bottom rung of the ladder until your father, by his own sheer guts, character, faith, love and intelligence brought the name Rhude up to where it probably is one of the most respected names in the local community. At his funeral, some one said 'he was the Abraham Lincoln of Crothersville.'"

He continued, "I know of times during the winter when he would skin a dead horse and sell the hide in Seymour which would bring $11 to $13."

A story James told many times about his first car, a Whippet: When he would drive to Brownstown, he would have to put the car in reverse and back up Sleigo Hill (just east of the fairgrounds) on the trip home. It didn't have enough power in forward gear to get up the hill.