Charles S. Hanna of Allentown was embraced by the winds of the universe from whence he came, on April 19, 2016. He was born in Allentown to the late Shahoud and Levinia Hanna. His father, Shahoud, a member of the Ahcease family, immigrated to Allentown from Amar, Syria in 1920. Charles was married to Mary Kavusak of Palmerton, the granddaughter of Slovakian immigrants. He was a graduate of Allentown High School (1952) and Muhlenberg College (1960). He earned a Master of Arts Degree from City College of New York (CCNY-1967) and a law degree from Rutgers University (1985). He was a U.S. Marine (1952-1955) combat veteran of the Korean War (1953). He was the editor and publisher of Damascus Road a contemporary poetry magazine that received grants from the Coordinating Council of Small Magazines (1974, 1978) and the National Endowment of the Arts (1981) He was listed in Cambridge University's Who's Who section of small press editors (1982). His mentors were the poet Allen Ginsberg who aided him in publishing the first edition of Damascus Road in 1960 and William Kinter, his English professor at Muhlenberg. Charles edited and published ten editions of the magazine from 1960 to 1982. His poems were published in many small poetry magazines and he was associated with the Les Doux Megot poets, a group of New York City poets who met and read their poetry at the Les Doux Megot coffee shop in East Greenwich Village (1961). He was also associated with the Beat Generation Poets working with such poets as Ginsberg, Leroy Jones, Paul Blackburn and Diane DiPrima. He worked for a New York City bank before returning to Allentown (1967) where he taught English at Allen High School for 25 years before practicing law in Lehigh County for 14 years, retiring in 2000.
He served on the boards of the Lehigh Valley Guidance Clinic, Lehigh County Chapter Red Cross, the Syrian Amarian Society and Fathers and Children's Equality (FACE) of Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the Lehigh Valley Labor Council, AFL-CIO from 1968 to 1993. He was legal counsel for the Allentown Federation of Teachers, and was a candidate for Lehigh County Commissioner (1977) and helped write the ground-breaking joint child custody law in Pennsylvania in 1982. He was a volunteer attorney for Turning Point, Allentown's abused women's shelter in 1987-1988. He was a member of St. George Orthodox Church and retreated to St. Vladimir Russian Orthodox seminary (1961) to contemplate God's influence on the soul of America. Charles was predeceased by his daughter Jill Elise and is survived by his son Charles Hanna husband of Stacey of Delray Beach, Florida, his daughter Lynne Hanna of Allentown, and six grandchildren: Jimi Hendricks of Philadelphia, Weston, Grayson and London Savage all of Allentown, Presley and Parker Hanna all of Delray Beach, Florida, his brother Edward, also an ex-Marine, of Allentown and his sister Selma of Springfield, Massachusetts.
A calling period will be held Friday April 22, 2016 from 9:00am to 10:00am followed by a service at 10:00 am all at Weber Funeral Home, 502 Ridge Ave. A burial will follow at Laurel Cemetery. Contributions may be made to St. George Orthodox Church, Building Fund.