Abe, Son of Abraham: Stories, Vignettes, Remembrances, Reflections, Thoughts, & Ributest
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Wright State University CORE Scholar Books Authored by Wright State Faculty/Staff 2014 Abe, Son of Abraham: Stories, Vignettes, Remembrances, Reflections, Thoughts, & ributesT Abe J. Bassett Wright State University - Main Campus, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/books Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Repository Citation Bassett , A. J. (2014). Abe, Son of Abraham: Stories, Vignettes, Remembrances, Reflections, Thoughts, & Tributes. : Bayswater Queensway Books. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License This Book is brought to you for free and open access by CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Books Authored by Wright State Faculty/Staff by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABE , SON OF ABRAHAM ABE, SON OF ABRAHAM Stories, Vignettes, Remembrances, Reflections, Thoughts & Tributes By Abe J. Bassett Abe J. Bassett ABE, SON OF ABRAHAM ABE, SON OF ABRAHAM Stories, Vignettes, Remembrances, Reflections, Thoughts, & Tributes By Abe J. Bassett ii Copyright © 2013 by Abe J. Bassett All rights reserved. Cover design by Elizabeth A. Kelly ISBN: 978-0615939391 ISBN: 0615939392 Published by Bayswater-Queensway Books 4085 Danern Drive Beavercreek, Ohio 45430 1st Printing, January, 2014 Printed in the United States of America By CreateSpace iii Also by Abe J. Bassett Memories of Rahija Library of Congress CT275.B3794 M45 1992 http://lccn.loc.gov/93205249 Available at and online at Wright State University Dunbar Library Through Inter Library Service from Allen County Public Library Fort Wayne, Indiana v PREFACE his collection of vignettes and stories does not purport to T be a biography, though many details of my life and family’s lives are revealed. The idea of writing life stories first came from Jack and Anne Rutherdale, he my former brother-in-law, and she his second wife. The actual writing of the stories in this book began in an informal class on writing life stories —“One Story At a Time”—led by my friend Robert Wagley of Wright State University. My first entries were about my early life in Williamson, West Virginia, and more importantly, my relationship with my father. I had previously collected and edited a book of memories of my mother, publishing them as Memories of Rahija (1992). Some of my accounts of my mother in that publication are included in this collection. Memories of Rahija is available via interlibrary loan or through the Wright State University Dunbar Library CORE collection. Although the stories in the present collection span the length of my life, the emphasis is on my early years, and my personal growth as a human being. As my career in education spanned thirty-four years, I could not avoid relating highlights of those years. My Lebanese heritage is revealed not only through the stories of my father and mother, but also through those of my parent’s brothers and sisters. My uncles and aunts are a vital part of my history. The primary intended audience is my immediate family but also future descendants. In addition to stories of my life’s events, I have included other items that define me, and the era in which I lived. Those additional items include letters I wrote, tributes delivered at life celebrations of family, my academic resumé, and most importantly, remembrances of my father and vi mother’s siblings and their known history from the town and country of their origin: Kfeir Zeit, Lebanon. In the future when family genealogists see names on a chart, they will be able to flesh out those names by learning the events and situations that give life to the names. My extended family data is now preserved on the genealogy program, Family Tree Maker. It is my hope that these records will be improved upon and maintained by subsequent generations. My deepest gratitude is given to my niece Jan Allegra Rutherdale for her encouragements and for doing first edit on many of the stories, and a final comprehensive edit. My wife, Sharon Kinnaird Bassett, gave invaluable editorial advice in addition to unending encouragement and support. I also acknowledge and thank those who reacted to some of these stories; Robert and Lorraine Wagley, Don Kelsay, Megan Bush, Rachel Magdalene, Nancy Griffith, and Jan Sherman and Patti Russo. vii DEDICATION s these vignettes were arranged into logical groupings, A I came to realize how deeply my father shaped my life. The lessons I absorbed in the first two decades of life permeated my being and fashioned my behavior. This awareness led to the title of this book in which I recognize that I am indeed the son of my father. Thus, it is to the memory of my father, Abraham Joseph Bassett, that I dedicate this book. viii taBLE OF CONTENTS I| GROWING UP WITH PAPA Williamson, The Greatest Town In The World ................................1 Going Up The Street ............................................................................5 Pop, Popeye & Me .................................................................................9 Clouds of Smoke ..................................................................................11 Papa Was A Psychologist...................................................................13 Paying Compliments ..........................................................................15 Driving With Papa..............................................................................17 A Summer On The Farm ...................................................................21 California, Here I Gun .......................................................................23 A Rose By Any Other Name .............................................................27 II| REMEMBERING MAMA AND PAPA The Death Of Papa .............................................................................31 Encounters With Papa .......................................................................35 Memories Of Mama Rahija ...............................................................37 III| THE LEARNING YEARS When Dolly Was Cloned ....................................................................51 High School Scholar ...........................................................................55 College Days ........................................................................................61 IV| LIFE EXPERIENCES You’re In The Army Now ...................................................................69 My Roaring Twenties .........................................................................87 V| THE ACADEMY My First Real Job .............................................................................103 Teaching In The Pacific Northwest ................................................111 Outdoors In The Pacific Northwest ................................................117 The Big Sky Country ........................................................................119 Arriving At Wright State University .............................................123 Eighteen Wonderful Years ..............................................................127 ix VI|THOUGHTS Stepping Forward ................................................................139 Working.................................................................................141 Follow Your Heart, Hannah...............................................143 On Marriage .........................................................................147 Violence In Iraq ....................................................................151 Churches, Cathedrals, Mosques and Music .....................153 My Musical Life ...................................................................155 A Wake Up Call ...................................................................159 The Military .........................................................................161 Summer Thunder ................................................................163 Myths ....................................................................................165 VII | TRAVELS WITH ABE Bassett Tours, Inc. ...............................................................169 Visiting Lebanon ..................................................................175 VIII| FAMILY HISTORY Peddlers Are Entrepreneurs ..............................................181 My Father’s Family .............................................................185 The Bassett Genealogy .......................................................197 My Mothers Family .............................................................203 Five Sisters ...........................................................................217 IX| REMEMBRANCES Remembering My Dear Sister Gladys ..............................223 Remembering My Dear Sister Alice ..................................225 Remembering My Brother-In-Law Jack ..........................233 My Uncle Frank’s September Song ...................................235 My First Cousin Victor Bassett .........................................239 X| APPENDIX From Barn To Theatre : By Eugene Cantelupe ..............249 WSU Theater Shapes Up On Paper : By Walt McCaslin .....253 A Career In Publishing ........................................................255 Biking Across America: An Interview ...............................259 Curriculum Vita: Final Edition ..........................................269 Abe’s Genealogy Chart ........................................................275