Tom Abraham

Who was Tom Abraham?

Tom Abraham was a Lebanese-born American businessman 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 Kafarakab, Lebanon, to Nahim Malouf and Alia Malouf, 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. 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. 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.