Son Sees News Report about Homeless Man, Realizes It’s the Dad He Hasn’t Seen for 30 Years

When a homeless man’s story was featured in a news report and on social media, it received an overwhelming response and became a viral sensation. Astonishingly, one person recognized not only the homeless guy but also the bond they shared. 

Life is full of surprises, and each day brings along an endless world of possibilities. Sometimes when we’re on the brink of giving up, fate conjures up a beautiful story and reminds us why we started our quest in the first place. 

Today’s story discusses a similar theme and sheds light on an incredibly heartwarming instance; a news report brought together two long-lost souls who were destined to find each other most unusually. 

[Left] Kevin as a child; [Right] Kevin and Rudolph share a hug. | Source: youtube.com/KHOU 11

AN INTERESTING CHARACTER

It all began in June 2017 when the world was introduced to a homeless man who lived in the Acres Home community in north Houston. The then-60-year-old Rudolph Taylor was not an average older man. 

In many ways, he was different not only from men his age but also from many people out there. Rudolph’s story was soul-stirring and filled with endless twists and turns. 

The man was imprisoned many decades ago after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the death of his brother. The Houston Police found him while chasing another suspect who used the area as a hiding spot but was eventually arrested. 

Rudolph Taylor. | Source: youtube.com/KHOU 11

“THE PAINTER”

Interestingly, what one Houston police officer saw in the Acres Home neighborhood baffled him so much that he was rendered speechless. After serving his five years in prison, Rudolph had turned into a talented artist and called himself “The Painter.”

The Houston Police Department Captain, Larry Baimbridge, decided to stop by and talk to the homeless guy out of sheer curiosity regarding his way of life. The officer then learned that Rudolph was a self-taught artist passionate about creating artwork. 

Rudolph pictured painting. | Source: youtube.com/KHOU 11

A STRANGE FRIENDSHIP

Officer Baimbridge stated that he was fascinated when he first stumbled upon Rudolph and his artwork. Much to everyone’s surprise, Rudolph forged an unusual friendship with the police, and their connection became an even bigger story. 

When the homeless guy was asked why he painted, he mentioned that it distracted him and prevented him from scouring his memory. He had been homeless for half of his life, and painting offered him a repose from the world around him. Rudolph expressed: 

“God gave me vivid imagination. You always want something you lose.”

HPD officer Larry Baimbridge and Rudolph Taylor. | Source: youtube.com/KHOU 11

LIVING WITH THE PAIN

Throughout his life, Rudolph had fully embraced his life and come to peace with things. He was a military veteran who had endured a lot of grief and pain, and no matter how hard he tried, the memories lingered in his mind. He recollected: 

“I have to deal with the bitterness of the loss and the anguish.”

Painting was a way of expressing his feelings on the canvas and dealing with the pain buried in his heart after separating from his family. More than 37 years ago, the divide occurred before his second son was born. 

Kevin Taylor. | Source: youtube.com/KHOU 11

EARNING HIS LIVING

After befriending the cops, Rudolph began earning money from creating custom artwork for the HPD officers and his neighbors in the community. He used that money to pay for food, painting equipment, and his daily cigar. 

I

n a somewhat candid feature

with the KHOU 11 News correspondent Melissa Correa, Rudolph was captured sitting in his shabby-looking art gallery, which used to be a welding shed. 

The man shared that he occasionally listened to music and the news, but creating art was the only thing that kept him going. Rudolph expressed that painting was his only constant, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

Kevin Taylor and Rudolph Taylor. | Source: youtube.com/KHOU 11

GOING VIRAL

Through the years, he had adapted to a rigid routine where he woke up early and operated through the day with some food items and a cup of coffee. Rudolph’s feature story was shared as a news report by KHOU 11 News and on social media. 

His story was viewed and shared thousands of times, and in late July 2017, the Houston Police received an unexpected call from a man in Boulder, Colorado. The man on the other end of the phone line told the police: 

“I think you know my father.”

Kevin pictured kissing his father. | Source: youtube.com/KHOU 11

A QUEST FOR HIS FATHER

Officer Baimbridge noted the caller’s information and verified the details. Meanwhile, the caller, Kevin Taylor, revealed that he was certain Rudolph was his father. He was Rudolph’s second son.

Kevin had known very few details about his birth father as a child. The father and son duo briefly met when Kevin was three. Soon afterward, Kevin moved to Colorado with his family. When Kevin turned eight, he learned that his father lived in Houston, and that’s when he began looking for his dad. 

Kevin recalled writing several letters to anybody who had his dad’s last name. Many of those letters were never answered. He had also seen a photo of his dad, which compelled him to write another letter inviting him to his U.S. Marine Corps graduation. Unfortunately, that letter was returned.

FINALLY REUNITED

Kevin was relieved of his long quest for his father when he watched a Facebook video shared by KHOU.com. Kevin recollected his phone call conversation in these words: 

“I said, ‘I saw a story. And it had Capt. Baimbridge in it, and I believe the man that’s in the video is my father. And, somebody get back to me.'”

Officer Baimbridge answered the call, and a few weeks later, he drove Kevin to the shack in Acres Home where Rudolph lived. When Kevin stepped out of the car and saw his dad, the pair shared a moment that even the most vivid imagination couldn’t conceive. 

We’re so glad this long-lost father and son duo finally embraced after 30 years of being apart. Please share this reunion story with your loved ones if you enjoyed reading it. 

Here’s another story that you might like, and it’s about a son who reunited with his homeless father after desperately searching for him for 11 years. Click here to read the whole story.

Anomama