More than ever before, people today are taking a keen interest in their families, going back generations. Witness the phenomenal popularity and growth of genealogy. Aramcons are not immune from the family history bug. Being that every Aramcon annuitant is part of a giant extended family with branches around the world, the search for information on one’s forebears can produce rich results.
From time to time, outsiders to the Aramcon family have gravitated to this website in search of information on family members with ties to Arabia and the Middle East. In a sense, they have become auxiliary members of the Aramcon family. Take, for instance, the case of Jeff Mayeri, a CPA from Illinois with roots in the region. He recently wrote seeking information on his father and seven uncles who were born in Iran in the days of the Shah. In researching his father’s and uncle’s lives, he found that their paths crossed those of many Aramcons and that at least one of his uncles spent time in Saudi Arabia. His father was born in Iran sometime around 1921 (the birth records are hazy, inviting debate about his exact birth year) and left for the U.S. just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Jeff’s uncle, Ben Rafi Mayeri and, allegedly, one other brother, remained in Iran after the Shah was overthrown.
In a January 2011 article, Aramco ExPats featured an article on Ben titled, “Ben Mayeri: Metalsmith of Isfahan.” That article began, "Many Aramcons may be familiar with Ben Mayeri of Isfahan, Iran, one of the greatest metalsmiths of modern times. He was featured in National Geographic. In fact, oil rig operators used to have their hard hats engraved by this master craftsman.” In April of that same year, Aramcon annuitants Duane and Mary Huetter wrote an article titled, “Memories from Ben Mayeri’s Shop in 1974,” in which they wrote shared memories about visiting Ben’s shop in 1974. Jeff’s web search for information on his family led him to those two articles, which led him in turn to our website.
If any of you readers have information or memories to share with Jeff regarding his Uncle Ben, or any other member of the Mayeri family, Jeff would like to hear from you. You can reach him by email at jmayeri@accountingtech.com.
Aramcons have touched many people’s lives all over the world and, in turn, been touched by many people from outside the Aramco family. Part of the joy of running this website is seeing people come together as a result of the information provided in these pages. Assisting others helps to bring us all together, promoting fellowship and understanding.