By Richard Mabey Jr.
My grandmother, Bertha Storms Mabey, once told me that when my dad came home from the war that he became a bit of a recluse. He spent hours upon hours working on his train set layout in the upstairs hallway. Grandma also told me that Dad lost himself in book after book. Simply put, Dad loved to read.
In 1946, when Dad came home to his family homestead at the end of Mabey Lane, Grandma told me that my father had become very quiet and withdrawn. Dad had returned from a long stay at Hickam Airfield in Hawaii, which was located right next to Pearl Harbor. While Dad was not present at the time of the Japanese air attack, my father did help in cleaning up Hickam after the Japanese attack. It was something that my father could hardly ever talk about. And, the very few times that he did talk about it, he would get very emotional.
Right after he came home from Hickam Airfield, Dad began working at Moon Carrier Trucking Company. Grandma told me that Dad saved every penny he could. And, in 1950, Dad and his brother, Edward, founded Mabey Trucking Company.
In the year, 2004, my father had a strong, spiritual calling to move to Central Pennsylvania, to live in the midst of the many Amish farms that abounded along the Lincoln Highway, just to the west of Chambersburg. My dear father was now weakened from being in the midst of fighting colon cancer. So, one Saturday, Dad asked me to climb the attic ladder and hand down the boxes and boxes of stuff that had been stored in our attic for years.
As I stood in the attic, facing the windows looking out to Route 202, there on my left-hand side, in a corner, were four old cardboard boxes. They were filled with both, paperback and hard cover books. I hollered down to Dad, who was standing by the ladder in the hallway of the old Mabey Homestead of my find. Dad simply asked me to bring them down for him.
There in those four old cardboard boxes were the golden gems of literature. Books by John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner abounded. And, then there was the most precious book of all, a first edition printing of Thomas Wolfe’s classic, “Look Homeward, Angel.”
As Dad and I went through his incredible collection of books, it felt like it was Christmas time. But instead of wrapped gifts, I was opening the cover to some of the greatest books ever written.
I remember this like it was yesterday, Dad proudly proclaimed to me, “you know, Richie, I’ve read every one of these books. Mostly from when I came home from the war, before I met your mother. All I really did back then was work, read books and work on my train layout.”
Then I remember how my father kind of laughed to himself. And then he said with a smile, “of course that all changed after I started dating your mom.”
I was in awe of my father’s incredible collection of books. The apple had not fallen from the tree. For the majority of the books that were in one of Dad’s four cardboard boxes, were the same authors and titles that I had read in my youth.
In May, it will be 20 years since my beloved father went Home to be with the Lord. While my father won out in his battle with colon cancer, he sadly lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, in May of 2006.
My father was one of the wisest individuals whom I have ever known. While Dad left school to enlist in the Unites States Army Air Corps, he studied and earned his GED in 1972. My father then attended classes and seminars at Drew University and became a fully recognized Lay Leader of the United Methodist Church.
I am immensely grateful for all my father taught me in scouts and in life, in general. It’s a debt I can only recognize but never repay. I so dearly miss my beloved father.
Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He has recently had two books published. He currently hosts a YouTube Channel entitled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” Richard may be contacted at richardmabeyjr@gmail.com.