Rusty's Recent Ramblings

Click here to see photos of the hats (and shirt) sent to Rusty over the years of writing.

Rusty the scribe was born (figuratively) in the late summer of 1999 after a mishap with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. It seems that KFC chicken buckets weren't quite holding up to the expectations of the average consumer. So Rusty wrote a letter to KFC under the pseudonym 'Tom Lucas.' After this initial foray into the consumer affairs arena, Rusty became more aware of the products and companies around him and he found many other consumer products which could be improved. Rusty determined that it was his own great responsibility to voice his thoughts and opinions if the same might lead to improvements in the lives of the average American consumers. He went on a letter writing campaign, signing these letters with his true given name 'Rusty Lucas' and vowed to never again deny his true identity to himself or anyone else.

Nobody knows for sure what happened to Rusty in December of 1999 or why he so abruptly stopped writing letters. Some say that he ran out of stamps, others suggest that he was on a secret mission for the CIA and had to go underground, still others believe that Rusty was abducted by aliens and taken far away in a space craft. While we cannot be sure what exactly happened, Rusty made a triumphant return to society in late 2003 and his letters to Corporate America on behalf of the average everyday consumer once again circulated through the proverbial veins drumming out the pulse of America. Rusty expanded his horizons to include inquisitive letters to other types of organizations and societies. Although not everyone responds to Rusty's letters, all responses Rusty does receive are posted here for all to read.

In January of 2005, Rusty received a visit from the authorities. Apparently the personnel at BASF do not share Rusty's inquisitive nature and sense of humor. Unfortunately, BASF did not and will not send any replies to Rusty. Instead, they sent a police detective. Although Rusty offered to write a letter to BASF explaining that the earlier letter was all in harmless good humor, the authorities suggested that writing another letter to BASF was not advisable. So instead, Rusty pledged to include a reference to BASF in his future letters for an undetermined period of time.

In April of 2006, Rusty's Recent Ramblings was featured in one of Rusty's favorite newsletters: Cool Tips and Trinkets. This page was included in the Subscribers' Sites section of issue #399.

In October of 2006, Rusty ducked away again for an indefinite sabbatical and retreat to cleanse his mind and spirit. That retreat lasted until late February of 2009, when Rusty awoke from his slumber and once again dropped a letter into the mail. You should hopefully see a new letter from Rusty posted here every few weeks, and there are plenty of old favorites for you to enjoy all over again.

Feel free to look around and read Rusty's Recent Ramblings. If you are looking for an old favorite, letters originating prior to 2009 and any responses are located in the archive pages, linked below.

Not only are all visitors welcome, but Rusty also welcomes any and all feedback. Unfortunately, Rusty must decline any ideas for future letters from outside sources. As for his reasons, he simply refers you to the views expressed in the archived replies from Good Year (#2), Snickers, Campbell Soup, and 7-Up, among others... If you have a letter idea that you think is worthy enough, why not write a letter yourself?

Below are links to the recent letters written by Rusty and the responses (where applicable) that Rusty received. Previous Rusty letters are also posted in the archives. All letters and responses are saved in the pdf format. If you encounter an error while downloading or viewing these files, please send an e-mail note to Rusty and let him know which file(s) you are having problems with. You can download the Adobe Reader program here for free.

Click on the buttons below to read and sign Rusty's Guestbook.

Rusty 2009
LT Nytol 02-28-09	Reply Nytol 03-24-09
LT Pine Ridge 03-17-09
LT HowStuffWorks 04-05-09*
LT NCBA 04-15-09
LT Detroit Zoo 05-01-09
LT Chicago Public Library 05-15-09
LT Bob Evans 05-28-09
LT Bridgford 05-30-09
LT LandAndFarm 06-18-09
LT Aspen Dental® 07-01-09

*For more explanation, listen to the Stuff You Should Know February 26, 2009 podcast on Junk Mail.

(Please note that all of Rusty's letters are the sole property of Rusty Lucas and/or his web master and CANNOT be reproduced, redistributed, or used in any way without Rusty's express written permission. The same applies to all responses to Rusty exclusive of any corporate letterhead and/or logos, insignias, or other material which may be currently copyrighted by the respective sources).

© The rusty letters that appear at the top of this page are images copyrighted by rustfetish "a photo gallery dedicated to the love of rust and all that rusts" and are used with the permission of rustfetish.

Rusty Archives

There are over 100 other letters in the Rusty Archives above. If you dig deep enough in those archives you will find:

- Rusty's effort to obtain sponsorship to swim the Ohio River.
- Rusty's proposal of a Supermarket Bingo promotion.
- Rusty's request for snowman insurance.
- Rusty's proposal for a new face on Mount Rushmore.
- Rusty's quest to become a major game show contestant.
- Rusty's effort to cover a small South American island with a rain awning.
- Rusty's idea for a new Christian hand soap.

Take some time perusing the archives and try to find each of the seven letters referenced above.

It's Rusty's own variation on "Where's Waldo" in a rusty sea of scenarios!

Rusty's page was last modified on:2009-06-30
These modifications included:LT Aspen Dental® added!!!

I am looking for a publisher to possibly turn Rusty's Letters into a book. If you are an independent publisher or are affiliated with a publisher and find these letters worthy of publishing in a collection (or series), please e-mail me with your company name/address and a contact person.