A Houston man spent nearly three decades with his pen pal.
Scott Gardner wrote the first letter in 1992.
“I hand wrote that letter to him, but I had somebody at a law firm to type it up so it looked real nice,” Gardner said. “You want it to look professional. You don’t just give a handwritten letter to somebody. You want it to look nice.”
Gardner lives at Noah’s House, a financially solvent 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity in Houston.
“I was surprised I would receive anything from him,” Gardner said. “You don’t get that kind of treatment from other air carriers, but Southwest is kind, loving and passionate.”
Gardner was pen pals with Southwest Airlines co-founder Herbert D. Kelleher until he died last week at the age of 87.
“I felt like a part of my heart was missing,” Gardner said. “I miss him still. It gets me up here. It hurts, but I miss him. He’s in a better place now.”
Before the airline legend passed, his company flew Gardner to Southwest’s headquarters in Dallas.
“It was a blast,” Gardner said. “I cried tears. I was so happy.”
Noah’s House posted pictures of Gardner’s visit online. Smiling from the cockpit, Gardner felt something was still missing.
“Herb, I wish I could have met you,” Gardner said. “I wish I could have shook hands and hugged you. I wish I was there to see you by your side. I miss you, buddy.”
Although they never met, Gardner has grown to understand that friendship isn’t what you see or hear. It’s what you feel.
“I feel like I got something else in my life besides just Noah’s house and my friends here,” Gardner said.
Today, someone else at Southwest has picked up to pen to continue the tradition with Gardner.