<p>What is an appropriate way of asking for a LOR to someone you knew in the past but didn't keep in touch recently?
If you can't see the recommender in person then you can use email, but how should you make a request via email?</p>
<p>I need a LOR for a scholarship application and all my more familiar potential recommenders are unavailable at the moment, so I'm left with only one person I didn't keep in touch with for a long time (a year or two).</p>
<p>It's going to be awkward. I've done it before, and there's just no getting around that awkwardness.</p>
<p>I would start off the request by giving an update about what I've been up to since I last saw that person and how I've applied what I learned in the past from this person to what I'm doing now. Then I'd describe what I was applying for and explain why I'd want this person to write the recommendation (Obviously, do not say "You're the only option I have left!").</p>