Tom Abraham
Encyclopedia
Tom Abraham was a Lebanese
-born American business
man and civic leader in Canadian
, the county seat and the only community
in Hemphill County, located in the northeastern Texas Panhandle
adjacent to Oklahoma
.
He was born in the village
of Kafracab, Lebanon
, to Nahim Malouf (1885–1965) and Alia Malouf (1885–1979), but the parents changed their surname to "Abraham" when they entered the United States
through Ellis Island
. Abraham grew up in Canadian, where he graduated from Canadian High School in 1928.
In 1932, Abraham graduated from Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
, where he played on the football
team and was the business manager for The Daily Toreador
, the Tech student newspaper
. He helped to launch the Red Raiders Club
and was part of the commission which created the Texas Tech Dad's Association (later the Texas Tech Association of Parents). Prior to his death, Abraham was believed to have been the oldest living Texas Tech letterman.
After graduation from Tech, Abraham worked in Paducah
in Cottle County south of Childress
. On April 28, 1935, Tom married his neighbor, the former Helen Ferguson (August 7, 1915 - February 11, 2008). A native of Merkel
near Abilene
in Taylor County
, Helen was the daughter of Frank Ferguson and the former Maude Hill. Tom and Helen moved to Canadian to work in the senior Abraham's "Fair Department Store
" and eventually became the owners.
He was instrumental in building the original sanctuary of his church, the First Presbyterian Church of Canadian. He and his brothers also helped to establish the Edward Abraham Memorial Home. He was active in Rotary International
and the Masonic lodge
in Canadian.
In his later years, Abraham received "Man of the Year" designation from the Canadian-Hemphill County Chamber of Commerce
and the Americanism Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution
, an honor given only to immigrants who helped other immigrants obtain citizenship
. In 1976, he chaired the Hemphill County Bicentennial Commission. In 1980, he received the Freedoms Foundation Award in Valley Forge
, Pennsylvania
.
Abraham died of lengthy complications from a stroke
in Hemphill County Hospital in Canadian. In addition to his wife, he was survived by three children, Donna Abraham Stainback of Greenville
, Ken Abraham and his wife Renee Abraham of Lubbock, and Kay Abraham Brown and her husband Terry Brown of Canadian; nine grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, and a son-in-law, Raiford Stainback, Jr., the husband of Donna Stainback. One of his brothers was Malouf Abraham, Sr.
(1915–1994), a wealthy oil
and natural gas
developer and philanthropist
who was mayor
of Canadian from 1953 to 1957, and a Republican
member of the Texas House of Representatives
from 1967-1971. One of his nephews was Malouf Abraham, Jr.
, (born 1939), a retired Canadian, Texas, physician
who specialized in allergies and is an active patron of the arts. All of the Abrahams became Republicans
and were generous donors to the party.
Two of Abraham's minister-granddaughters officiated at his funeral, which was held in the First Christian
Church of Canadian. He and his wife are interred in the Edith Ford Memorial Cemeteries in Canadian. His obituary reads that Abraham was known for his kindness to others. In 1992 the Amarillo Globe News in a feature article referred to him, accordingly: "Santa Claus
is alive and giving in Canadian."
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
-born American business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man and civic leader in Canadian
Canadian, Texas
Canadian is the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the nearby Arkansas River. Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the Texas Panhandle."-History:The trails along the river are...
, the county seat and the only community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
in Hemphill County, located in the northeastern Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
adjacent to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
He was born in the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Kafracab, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, to Nahim Malouf (1885–1965) and Alia Malouf (1885–1979), but the parents changed their surname to "Abraham" when they entered the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
through Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
. Abraham grew up in Canadian, where he graduated from Canadian High School in 1928.
In 1932, Abraham graduated from Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, where he played on the football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team and was the business manager for The Daily Toreador
The Daily Toreador
The Daily Toreador is the student newspaper of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The newspaper started in 1925 after the founding of Texas Technological College in 1923. It was originally called The Toreador to reflect the Spanish Renaissance architectural of the campus's buildings...
, the Tech student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
. He helped to launch the Red Raiders Club
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
and was part of the commission which created the Texas Tech Dad's Association (later the Texas Tech Association of Parents). Prior to his death, Abraham was believed to have been the oldest living Texas Tech letterman.
After graduation from Tech, Abraham worked in Paducah
Paducah, Texas
Paducah is a town in Cottle County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,498 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cottle County...
in Cottle County south of Childress
Childress, Texas
Childress is a city in Childress County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,778 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Childress County. Like the county, the city is named for George Campbell Childress, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, who was the principal author of the Texas...
. On April 28, 1935, Tom married his neighbor, the former Helen Ferguson (August 7, 1915 - February 11, 2008). A native of Merkel
Merkel, Texas
Merkel is a town in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,637 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Merkel is located 17 miles west of Abilene near the Interstate Highway 20....
near Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
in Taylor County
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
, Helen was the daughter of Frank Ferguson and the former Maude Hill. Tom and Helen moved to Canadian to work in the senior Abraham's "Fair Department Store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
" and eventually became the owners.
He was instrumental in building the original sanctuary of his church, the First Presbyterian Church of Canadian. He and his brothers also helped to establish the Edward Abraham Memorial Home. He was active in Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
and the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
in Canadian.
In his later years, Abraham received "Man of the Year" designation from the Canadian-Hemphill County Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and the Americanism Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
, an honor given only to immigrants who helped other immigrants obtain citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
. In 1976, he chaired the Hemphill County Bicentennial Commission. In 1980, he received the Freedoms Foundation Award in Valley Forge
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Abraham died of lengthy complications from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in Hemphill County Hospital in Canadian. In addition to his wife, he was survived by three children, Donna Abraham Stainback of Greenville
Greenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
, Ken Abraham and his wife Renee Abraham of Lubbock, and Kay Abraham Brown and her husband Terry Brown of Canadian; nine grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, and a son-in-law, Raiford Stainback, Jr., the husband of Donna Stainback. One of his brothers was Malouf Abraham, Sr.
Malouf Abraham, Sr.
Malouf Abraham, Sr. was a self-made Texas multi-millionaire in the oil and natural gas business and a political and civic leader from Canadian, the seat of Hemphill County in the northeastern Texas Panhandle. He made his fortune in part by leasing mineral rights throughout the eastern Panhandle...
(1915–1994), a wealthy oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
developer and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who was mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Canadian from 1953 to 1957, and a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from 1967-1971. One of his nephews was Malouf Abraham, Jr.
Malouf Abraham, Jr.
Malouf Abraham, Jr. , is a retired physician and active art collector from Canadian, a community in the Texas Panhandle and the seat of Hemphill County...
, (born 1939), a retired Canadian, Texas, physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who specialized in allergies and is an active patron of the arts. All of the Abrahams became Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and were generous donors to the party.
Two of Abraham's minister-granddaughters officiated at his funeral, which was held in the First Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Church of Canadian. He and his wife are interred in the Edith Ford Memorial Cemeteries in Canadian. His obituary reads that Abraham was known for his kindness to others. In 1992 the Amarillo Globe News in a feature article referred to him, accordingly: "Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
is alive and giving in Canadian."