by Jo Scheier Bugay
patriciathrushart.com
Browsing my Facebook feed recently, I came across an announcement on the Explore Clarion page titled: “Local Author Ralph Bowersox Passes Away.” The post included the picture of a silver-haired man with bright blue eyes and an easy grin, wearing a flannel plaid shirt and a red jacket. A Pittsburgh Pirate hat sat, pushed back a little, on his head. His face was full of humor and, it seemed to me, a sense of joy.
The post read: “Ralph Bowersox, 95, of Clarion, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, January 16, 2019. At the age of 81, he began a new career; writing weekly stories for the local newspapers. His book, Ralph’s True Stories,was published in 2010. For 14 years he wrote and published over 400 rich and often humorous stories, both historical and contemporary, that were enjoyed by many readers.”
I felt a cascade of reactions.
Of course, my first thought was for the family and friends that had to say goodbye to someone who was clearly, based on his obituary, much loved. From the outpouring of condolences and memories, it was certain no one was ready for that final farewell.
It was inspiring to learn of someone who, in his eighth decade of life, started a new career! That spoke of a vitality and curiosity I could only hope to have, I thought, if I’m even lucky enough to reach that age.
I was conscious of that profound feeling of respect we have for people who gracefully manage to live so long. We marvel at their good genes, their luck, their blessings. We are amazed to consider the changes they have witnessed: the rapid development of technology, once the stuff of science fiction; the explosion of media and communications, the radically different social norms, the world wars, cold wars, scientific advancements and more. This act of witnessing is marvelous and humbling to contemplate.
Most of all, I was especially intrigued to learn that Ralph was a published author. I found myself wondering how it was that I, a local author myself, knew nothing of his articles featured in the local paper over fourteen years, or the book that he published. In fact, it seemed that none of us involved in the new local literary magazine, The Watershed Journal, knew of him. Given our mission of celebrating local storytellers- both writers and photographers- this seemed like an unfortunate missed opportunity.
This feeling only grew when I bought a used copy of Ralph’s book – an autographed copy, it turned out— and began reading. Ralph’s True Stories is a lovely compilation of articles that reminisce about a life lived fully, mixed in with folksy observations and no small amount of humor. Even more wonderfully, these vignettes are accompanied by photographs infused with the vintage charm of old-fashioned cars, clothing and past traditions. There’s Ralph in a gaggle of school boys in front of the old school house, 1930. There he is in a bobsled pulled by the family’s horses, 1931. He and his wife as a young couple, 1948. His mom holding their first-born in front of the chicken coop, 1950. The 300+ page book had one homey, sweet, candid photograph after another.
The book certainly lives up to its byline: “Entertaining Chronicles of Life in Clarion County, Pennsylvania— Late 1920s through the Present Day.”
As I read through the stories, I was left with one last thought: how many more authors are there in our hometowns that we haven’t met? I wished that our group of writers had met Ralph, and that we had included at least one of his articles and photographs in an edition of the Journal- whichever one he would have graciously shared. Still, I was glad to make his acquaintance through his stories.
Rest well, fellow author, and thank you for sharing your joy of life, your humor and your wonderful storytelling.
