What inherent feature enables a man to rise to national prominence? What does it take in order to be cited by Presidents, Governors, and Mayors and have a national holiday proclaimed in your honor?

Earl had been singing and playing the guitar, along with his niece Betty Jane Kohler back in the early 1930s, at the W.F.B.G. radio station in Altoona, Pennsylvania, plus in churches, the V.F.W., schools and the Elks club.

Then in 1939, as Earl tells it, “One winter day I was sitting in front of the fireplace listening to the radio and heard the announcer mention Tom Russell, shut-in, living in Juniata, Pennsylvania, who had been confined to a iron lung, because of tuberculosis for 24 years, but who nevertheless was an “incurable optimist.” As Earl put it “I looked outside at the snow, felt his loneliness, and figured someone should pay him a visit.”

And so, Earl and his young niece Betty Jane, visited Mr. Russell, who was cheered by Earl’s and Betty’s guitar-playing and singing. Earl experienced a feeling of deep personal satisfaction. He then recruited his daughter Doris to play and sing for the shut-ins.

EARL AND LITTLE DORIS

Thus, began the career that was known in the early days as “Earl and Little Doris Rutter.” Since then, Earl’s career had covered a period of 32 years and a quarter of a million miles, and accounted for thousands of dollars worth of tires and several automobiles.

With Earl on guitar and Doris playing the accordion, they entertained over one million persons at hospitals, sanitariums, juvenile homes, orphanages and old folks’ homes with the emphasis being shut-ins, those forced by disease, age or accident to remain indoors for long periods, families deprived of their possessions by fire or other calamity. Sometimes he traveled alone or with either his daughter Doris and later Janet and once even took his son Marvin along to sing at a hospital, and sometimes with a troupe of volunteers. They sang country music, popular tunes and religious songs. He would sometimes put on a variety show in an institution or a banquet. Countless hours were spent writing to shut-ins, sending them cards, letters, poems and other materials.

Earl and daughter Doris entertaining a 86 Year old SHUT-IN, East PittsBurgh, Pennyslvania

From March 30, 1939, Earl held down two or three jobs at once, but only one of them had brought him a personal income. That was his Westinghouse job-as assembler, tool-room clerk and later a supply man.