I hope some of you will indulge me and read this. It is a pre-obituary. Jim Ellett Hopes Gifts Will Carry On The Dalles Chronicle (AP) December 20, 2001 A man who has spent decades playing secret Santa to low income children here is finally going public in the hope of finding others to carry on his work after he dies. This year, Santa's helpers have chosen about 800 gifts that will go to more than 600 children. The Santa who pays the bill - often reaching $15,000 to $20,000 a year - keeps out of the limelight and those who help him have guarded his identity. Those helpers think it's now time people know who the secret Santa is, because this may be his last Christmas. Jim Ellett is dying from a progressive lung disease. In Ellet's style of giving, the young beneficiaries never know their Christmas presents are different. Ellett, 68, grew up in poverty and hated the public giveaways that made him feel ashamed of being poor. His father supported his mother and their five children on a slim disability check for mustard gas injuries suffered in World War I. "We were never hungry, and we had a lot of love," Ellett said. He remembers Christmas charity he got as a kid: hand-me-down toys and an orange, presented in a packed auditorium. "It was so humilitating," he said. "I don't think it was right to rub your nose in it. They never meant it that way, but that's the way it worked out." He and his wife, Loretta, quietly began their giving tradition three decades ago, using profits from Ellett Construction Co., to create a gift exchange in which givers and recipients would feel no shame. The Elletts' started helping parents of limited means buy new items for their children. First, it was clothing gift certificates. Then toys, relayed through the Salvation Army. Helen Madsen, a friend of Ellett's and a member of the Salvation Army board, has followed the progress of the gift-giving program since the late 1970s. She estimates the combined value of gift purchases over the years easily could exceed $400,000. "Truthfully, we couldn't have done as much for the children without his help," she said. "We were able to give them three real nice gifts, plus stocking stuffers." On Saturday the Salvation Army will set up a makeshift store at a local shopping center. Parents may come in and select toys. "We give them to the parents and say, "You go home and wrap it and say it's from whomever," said Capt. Sabrina Tumey of the Salvation Army. Ellett is visibly embarrassed when it comes to talking about the details. To him, the project isn't about public praise. It's about creating stronger bonds between children and their parents. "The kids have to think better of their parents when they think the parents got the gifts for them," Ellett said. "It gives them pride, and it gives the parents pride." Ellett's grandchildren help select the gifts. The shopping teaches the children that people should give without expecting a pat on the back, he says. "I think the good Lord meant for you to help other people," he said. "Mayber it hasn't helped as much as I think, but I think it's helped a lot of kids through some tough times." Merry Christmas All! Earline Wasser