The Arab and the Brit: The Last of the Welcome Immigrants

271 Pages·2013·2.43 MB·English

by  Bill Rezak

The Arab and the Brit

The Arab
and
the Brit
The Last of the
Welcome Immigrants
Bill Rezak
Syracuse University Press
Copyright © 2013 by Syracuse University Press
Syracuse, New York 13244-5290
All Rights Reserved
First Edition 2013
13 14 15 16 17 18 6 5 4 3 2 1
∞ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
For a listing of books published and distributed by Syracuse University Press, visit our
website at SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu.
ISBN: 978-0-8156-0974-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rezak, Bill.
The Arab and the Brit : the last of the welcome immigrants / Bill Rezak. — First edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8156-0974-2 (cloth : alkaline paper) 1. Rezak, Bill—Family. 2. Palestinian
Americans—Biography. 3. British Americans—Biography. 4. Immigrants—United
States—Biography. 5. Indentured servants—Canada—Biography. 6. Palestine—
Biography. 7. England—Biography. I. Title.
E184.P33R38 2012
304.8'205694073—dc23 2012040261
Manufactured in the United States of America
Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
The wretched refuse of your teaming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
—Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”
Bill Rezak was president of the State University of New York College of
Technology at Alfred (Alfred State College) from 1993 to 2003. He was
instrumental in transforming Alfred State from a two-year technical
college into a baccalaureate polytechnic. Before his time at Alfred State,
he was dean of the School of Technology at Southern Polytechnic State
University in Marietta, Georgia.
Rezak also spent eighteen years in engineering, design, and con-
struction of power-generation facilities, both nuclear and fossil fueled.
He earned a bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering from Lehigh
University, a master’s in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute
of Technology, and a PhD in human resource development from Georgia
State University. He was a registered professional engineer in several
states.
Contents
List of Illustrations | ix
Preface | xi
Acknowledgments | xv
1.
Nazareth | 1
2.
Bill Curnick and Barnardo’s Home | 8
3.
Habeeb and the Ottoman Turks | 23
4.
Canada | 32
5.
Radia and Habeeb’s Heritage | 40
6.
Life on the St. Lawrence River | 47
7.
America? | 57
8.
Bill’s Family Comes to Canada | 72
9.
The Rizks’ Journey to America | 77
10.
Florence Elsie Belcher | 87
11.
Ellis Island and Beyond | 100
12.
Florence and Bill | 113
13.
Life in Syracuse | 123
14.
The Curnicks of America | 131
15.
Finally Another Rizk | 148
16.
Polly and Nick | 160
17.
St. Elias Church and the Other Rezaks | 168
18.
Nick Overseas | 183
19.
The Yugoslav Rezaks | 213
viii | Contents
20.
Home to Syracuse | 221
Epilogue | 230
Afterword | 232
Appendix | 237
Bibliography | 249