Letter: Citizen Thomas was a man loved, revered by many

Friday, Oct. 22, 1999 | 9:41 a.m.

The state of American culture is much in the news these days. The xenophobic clamor for a distinct cultural recognition for themselves alone. Others yearn for some mythical "good old days" when American culture resembled the Disney version of Main Street, USA. In truth, culture is not that which has been approved by vote, by law, or by fiat. Culture is what people do, and how they pick, choose and blend tradition, and react to the interplay of human emotions and physical needs. So when kilted pipers wear yarmulkes and pipe "Amazing Grace" in a synagogue because these cultural symbols meet the needs of a diverse group gathered to celebrate the life and passing of a kind man and a good friend, this is a true expression of American culture.

We gathered at 1 p.m. on Oct. 1 to mourn John Hamilton Thomas: husband, father, defender of his country, Clark County Juvenile probation officer, and friend to the hundreds of people who overflowed the main hall of Temple Beth Am Synagogue. We mourners were a diverse lot, representing the warp and woof of the fabric of American society. We wore our cultural identities on our backs: middle class suits, military uniforms, work clothes, "Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes," police shields, VFW insignia and biker regalia. The mix of the ad hoc congregation surprised no one, for John Thomas never entered a room where he did not know someone (and his family) by first and last name.

Once, when John and I stopped at a gas station in the middle of the Mojave Desert, John looked around and did not recognize a single soul. Then he looked at the dog sitting at the feet of the station attendant, and said: "You know, I believe your dog is a litter mate to my dog." The two men compared notes, and sure enough, the two dogs were whelped from the same litter. Soon the two were amicably chatting. If John could not find a friend in the middle of nowhere, then he at least knew the dog, and would make a friend of the dog's owner.

BILL FISHER