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dedication americandruzeheritage website to uncle henry flehan
Julia Makarem dedicates this americandruzeheritage website to Uncle Henry Flehan. October 26, 2006
In 1946, Henry Flehan attended the First Druze Meeting in Charleston, West Virginia where the idea of an ADS National Convention was first conceived. From that time on, he continued his interest in the American Druze Community and contributed continuously to the unity and well being of the American Druze. "Uncle Henry" served in many different capacities of the West Virginia Albakoorat and the ADS for more than fifty years. He also researched, and wrote the first American Druze History from 1908 through 1968. Through his writings and research, I was able to complete the writing of the History of the Druze in America. Uncle Henry Flehan passed away March 22, 1999.
"We may cover secret actions, but to be silent, concerning what all the world knows and things which have had effects which are public and of so much consequence, is an inexcusable fault." (On peult couvrir les actions secrettes; mais de taire tout ce que tout le monde scait, et les choses qui ont tire des effects publiques et de telle consequence c'est un default inexcusable.) Montaigne, Essays, Bk. ii, ch. 10 of the duty of historians.
Henry Flehan, from Raleigh, North Carolina, began compiling the history of the American Druze Society at least twenty years ago. He felt the need, and he took it upon himself to do this difficult task. Therefore, when I began writing the history of the Society from 1908 to 1970, I found that Henry Flehan had done so much ground work, my own work was almost smooth sailing throughout the "History of the Druze in America."
From Henry Flehan's articles in Our Heritage, and from articles by Nafe Katter, Sr. (Uncle Nafe); Abbas Dakdduk; Jimmie Silman, Sr., and Kathy Jaber Stephenson, was I able to construct an accurate picture of the EI-Bakaurat Ed-Dirziyat and the American Druze Society.
To all these people, and to any I may have missed, you deserve and have the sincere gratitude of all the members and officers of the American Druze Society. "History, after all, is the true poetry," said the great Carlyle in his Essays. |
