Lewis Dennison Meredith
On Wednesday, September 7, 1949, news of the death of Lewis D. Meredith shocked us; a victim of polio.
Lew had a host of friends in both Ras Tanura and Abqaiq as well as Dhahran, and fitting tribute has been paid to him by our Abqaiq columnist, Johnny Warren on page 5 of this issue.
Lew arrived in Saudi Arabia on August 8, 1948, spent a short time in Dhahran, transferred to Ras Tanura assigned to the Exploration Department as typist-clerk. For the past several months he was assigned to Engineering & Construction Division, Abqaiq.
During the war Lew spent two years in the Navy; and worked in several aircraft factories on the West Coast. For his hobbies he listed music, the one art in which he excelled; model airplanes, and dramatics.
Lewis Dennison Meredith was born in Columbus, Ohio on November 15, 1922. Funeral services were held on Thursday, September 8, interment in the Dhahran cemetery.
Surviving are his father Harry D. Meredith, a brother, and a sister, Dorothy E. Meredith, the latter resides at 144 North Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, California.
When the news of Lew Meredith's death reached Abqaiq at 12:50 on Wednesday afternoon, September 7th, it was as if a vital, energizing force had suddenly been removed from our existence. It was difficult to believe that his infectious laugh would no longer be heard in the Dining Hall, or disrupt the subdued, business-like atmosphere of the Administration building. Although he had been in Abqaiq for only three months, few people could boast of as many friends.
Many of us first remember Lew as the genial assistant director of "Claudia", who journeyed from Ras Tanura to make the weekend of April 14th a memorable one. Later transferred to Abqaiq, he was foremost in promoting the Theater Guild and was in the midst of directing its first production when stricken with polio.
Most Abqaiqians, however, will best remember Lew as the guy who spent hours at the Hammond Organ, always surrounded by a group of appreciative listeners. Lew enjoyed music more than anything else, and hoped to follow it as a career upon his return to the States.
In losing one of the most popular and esteemed members of the community, Abqaiq extends its deepest to his family and friends in the States.
It seems hard to realize that he is gone. When you say goodbye to a friend there is always a vacuum left somewhere along the paths you've traveled together that no one else can ever quite fill.
...The Prophet spoke of friendship and said, "When you part from your friends, you grieve not ...for that which you love most in him may become clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain." Johnny Warren.