Local teacher sends annual greetings to every former student - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Scott Swan/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - All of us have a favorite teacher from our days in school. Someone who made history, math or English interesting and fun. As an adult, we may not think about that person very often. But the students who had Mr. Stroup at Heritage Christian School are reminded of their favorite teacher every year.

"We'll officially start class with prayer," Dan Stroup tells members of his eighth grade Bible class. "Lord, we thank you for this week and the things we've been able to accomplish."

Stroup immediately leads his students to find a scripture in the book of Hebrews. One student in Stroup's class flips through the Bible with a big smile on her face. Rachel Houck is celebrating her 14th birthday and as a new 8th grader, she holds onto a school secret. Houck received a birthday letter from her Bible teacher.

During a break in class, Houck reads a portion of the letter aloud. "I've seen you around school not only the last year, but from many years previously," Stroup wrote his new student. "Now it's nice to finally have you in my classroom."

Each student in 8th grade Bible class will receive a handwritten birthday letter from Dan Stroup.

"Everybody likes getting mail. Isn't that right?" Stroup asks. "Email is nice. But, nothing like finding mail in the mailbox."

The humble and popular teacher spends a portion of every evening in his living room, quietly writing birthday letters to every student he has had in class in 30 years at Heritage Christian School.

"Some nights, it's just a few minutes, but last night it was 2 1/2 hours," says Stroup. "Thursday nights are difficult. Because you have to write for Saturday and Sunday."

No form letters

Stroup will not write a form letter and will not rely on quicker forms of communication to reach his former students. His handwritten notes include memories of the student in class, with questions about each student's life and a Bible verse at the bottom of the letter which is written in red pen.

"This year it's James chapter 1. Do not merely listen to the word, but do what it says," says Stroup. "God's Word is something we live by. We don't just study it as a book. It's life. It teaches us how to live life," says Stroup. "I didn't want to send a card that somebody else had put some saying on it," adds Stroup. "I wanted it to be my words."

Stroup uses a small tablet of lined, white paper to write Tony Dever, a student in his Bible class more than 20 years ago. Stroup learned that Tony's father had died and wanted to include encouragement in the birthday letter.

"I tried to remind him of some of the good things that have happened over the years, the things we had in common and would also include his dad," says Stroup.

Dever, who owns a small family grocery store on the east side of Indianapolis, reads a portion of the letter that triggered a wave of emotion.

"It's always on the same kind of paper every year," says Dever. "You look at the writing, you don't even need to see where it's from. You know who it's from. At the bottom it says, 'I may try to get down to the store and get some fresh fruit in the next week or two.' That's Mr. Stroup. Always thinking of someone else," says Dever.

Stroup mails handwritten birthday letters to students in 60 cities, 36 states and six countries.

Noblesville resident Kristen Anderson received her birthday letter, three decades after she was in Stroup's class. Anderson laughs as she points out a younger Dan Stroup in a school yearbook.

"That is a young Mr. Stroup - laughter. 30 years ago."

Anderson says receiving a handwritten letter from her favorite teacher is one of the highlights of her birthday and reads a portion of the most recent note.

"Dear Kristen, July is a great month, we celebrate the 4th, it's still the middle of the summer and above all, it's your birthday."

Anderson pauses at the kitchen table and smiles.

"When it's there, I tell my husband, here's Mr. Stroup's letter," says Anderson who has kept all of Stroup's letters. "It seems like every year he pegs what's going on in my life, and I think God really uses him."

Stroup lives in the neighborhood near Heritage Christian School on the northeast of Indianapolis. From his living room where he writes to his students, Stroup can see the school buses drive past his home bringing younger students that will one day receive birthday letters. Stroup reflects on the mission of his letters.

"I don't want them to think that I only liked them in middle school, that I still remember them," said Stroup. "I just want them to know that I remember them. That I knew them as an individual and in the classroom. They weren't just part of a group."

Remarkable recall

Stroup keeps his the names and birthdays of students in a small book. Despite the limited information written in the book, Stroup has remarkable recall of the 2,500 students that have passed through his classroom in the last three decades.

"On Christmas Day, Tim has a birthday. He graduated in 1994," says Stroup. "Jennifer and Jeff are brother and sister. Both have their birthdays on July 9th in different years," Stroup explains as he looks through his book. "I am sure there have got to be some mistakes out of 2,500 a year. There are probably some mistakes. I hope they forgive me if it happens," says Stroup.

Aka Egwu took Mr. Stroup's Bible class in 1997 and has kept nearly every letter.

"It's a tradition. Every year, it makes my birthday extra special," says Egwu. "He always gives you a little bit of wisdom. A Bible verse. He gives you a little bit of advice," says Egwu. "He genuinely cared about you. And he's real. And he really cares about where you're going and how you're living your life."

Stroup has students born on nearly every day of the year. In some cases, there are multiple students who share a birthday. "Eleven (students) on April first," says Stroup.

But even for the busy teacher, there is one day of rest.

"November 4th is my day off. No birthdays on November fourth yet," chuckles Stroup.

The longtime Heritage Christian School bible teacher says the birthday letter tradition was designed to remain a secret, but parents and faculty who learned about his dedication now provide him with the means to continue his tradition.

"It's been 12 to 15 years since I actually bought a stamp. Because people give them to me. They'll send them to me in the mail. They'll appear in my mailbox at school," says Stroup.

Stroup views the letters as an extension of his teaching style. His students have learned the lesson. In 2008, former students went on the popular social website "Facebook" and alerted Stroup alums that their teacher was celebrating his birthday on May 27. Stroup was touched by the response. More than 300 handwritten cards arrived in Stroup's mailbox.

"It was overwhelming. That was pretty cool," says Stroup.

Those handwritten notes from students are now alphabetized in a filing cabinet in a closet where Stroup can quickly locate them for reference. "So, if I want to find something that someone's mailed me, it's in the file right here."

Stroup's former students have kept their own birthday letters. Elizabeth Douglass, a senior and 2009 homecoming queen, sits on her bed looking at the letters she received in high school.

"It's one of the things I will always remember about him and he's unlike anyone I've ever met," says Douglass.
Kristen Anderson, who was in Mr. Stroup's class 30 years ago, has kept all of her birthday letters.

"It's just something that's so unique. Just really special to me, that he would do that over all these years. Something I don't want to let go of. I'm gonna keep 'em," says Anderson. "When I tell people that I get letters on my birthday from my sixth grade teacher, they just can't believe it," says Anderson. "It makes you feel appreciated. And that he cares enough to spend his time on sending you a note," added Anderson. "He's still there for his students."

Stroup pauses in between letters.

"For some of them, if I haven't seen them for awhile, I still think of them as an 8th grader," says Stroup. "It's just like your own children. They grow up, they're adults. But, they're still your children. And, I feel that way with my students," says Stroup. "They leave the classroom, they go on. I still remember them. They've made an impact on my life," says Stroup. "If they don't remember me from the 8th grade, they'll remember me when the birthday letter comes maybe."

And with that, Stroup picked up the pen again continued writing.