Notes on Kim Esber

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From the Oriental Rug discussion list:

There may be some wiser than I but here is our solution. Usually that is caused by uneven tension in the weft. This also causes edge curl and occurs in finely woven rugs and most often, from our experience, in rugs from Iran.
We block the rug. Turn it upside down, nail one corner to the floor. And then begin streaching the rug and nailing it until the puckers are streched out. We have a grid system drawn on our floor so we can try to get it square. Then we apply several coats of a thin (watery) horse glue that is water soluble. We allow it to dry and re-apply if needed. When dry, we remove the nails and it will usually lye flat (hopefully). Please note that the glue will wash out if the rug is cleaned and blocking will need to be done again.
I learned this from my father, W.E. Esber, who passed away last year at 95 years. He had an accident on the way home from work. Yes, you heard me correctly. He waorked every day from 10 -5 . his philosophy was that he worked as a rug man from 10 -5 so he could be whatever he wanted from 5 till 10. He also practiced piano three hours a night. He began our business in 1933 and worked every business day until he died. He had a lot of tricks for fixing rugs, Some good and some not so good. For instance he was a great patcher of rugs. I know that is not the best way to fix a rug but we are in the sticks of PA and people here cannot afford re-weaving. He was obssessed. He would find old scraps of rugs and cut and sew for weeks to make the patch look good. Then he would charge $100.00 for all of that work. The funny thing was that he was worth millions from real estate deals. he drove a Geo. His clothes were old and stained. He rarely cut his full head of white hair. He gave generously to the Penn State School of music and gave them a full concert grand Bosendorfer. He funded two scolarships. He never ate out. He had a stick of butter every day. He hated garlic. He came to this country from Syria when he was a teenager and won a full academic scolarship to Harvard. He delt with the old timers in New York and outlived most of them.
Nobody in Hali ever knew who he was. He didn't once attend the Atlanta market. He could lay stair runners like nobody else. As a matter of fact he did a huge job the week he died. He could buy (wholesale) like you wouldn't believe. If you bought a rug from him and didn't like it a year later, he would give you your money back. He loved to plant trees.
So, I never questioned his method of blocking rugs.
I hope this helps,
Kim Esber

Esber Gift Will Improve Recital Hall

W. E. Esber, a resident of State College and owner of W. E. Esber Persian Rugs, has committed $190,000 toward the furnishings, maintenance, and renovation of the School of Music Recital Hall in Music Building I, making his total gift to the School of Music $370,000. In recognition of the donor's generosity, Penn State's Board of Trustees has agreed to rename the hall "The George Esber Music Recital Hall," memorializing Mr. Esber's brother.

A portion of the gift includes funds for the purchase of a new nine-foot Bšsendorfer concert grand piano. Mr. Esber has previously established an endowment for three music scholarships.

It was his long-standing appreciation for the School of Music's free concerts that inspired him to do more. "This wonderful music deserved a proper place with the proper equipment. When you're listening to music, you must be in the right setting," he says. "The room should be quiet and comfortable; the acoustics must be good. These fine Penn State musicians need the equipment to match their level of talent." Penn State College of Arts and Architecture | Supporting the Arts and Academics

School of Music mourns death of W.E. Esber

Wihbe "Webb" Elias Esber died Friday, June 28, 2002, at Centre Community Hospital in State College. He was 94.

Esber's long-standing appreciation for the School of Music and its free concerts inspired him to financially support the school's programs. Beginning his support more than 20 years ago, Esber provided funds for the acquisition of several Bösendorfer grand pianos—considered one of the leading keyboard instruments in the world. Esber later endowed a scholarship fund that helps three undergraduate music students studying piano or violin each year and an endowment for maintenance and restoration of the music recital hall, which was named the Esber Recital Hall in his honor.

As owner of W.E. Esber Persian Rugs in State College, Esber was a leading expert on and dealer of imported rugs on the East Coast for 69 years. He was the nation's oldest active imported rug dealer. Esber once said he was a rug dealer from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. so that from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. he could be anything he wanted.

Esber was born on July 17, 1907, to Elias Esber and Janna Georges in Arne, Syria. His family moved to Canton, Ohio, in 1920. He was Canton High School's first graduate to be accepted at Harvard University without examination. He studied philosophy and graduated in 1933. Esber moved to State College in 1967.

Esber's son, G. Kim Esber ('79 B.S. L.Arch.), and grandson, Cheston "Chet" Esber ('90 B.S. Finance, '94 M.S. Education), now operate W.E. Esber Rugs. He is also survived by a daughter, Dr. Elizabeth "Betse" Esber ('72 B.A. Speech), of State College; another son, Dr. W. Jon Esber ('67 B.S. Pre-Med.), of Dallas; and three sisters, Janna Georges and Laurice Neam, both of Arlington, Va., and Audrey Herberghs of Canton, Ohio.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Esber Scholarship Funds, Development Office, College of Arts and Architecture, Old Credit Union Building, University Park, PA 16802. Penn State College of Arts and Architecture | News

For Further Reading:

Persian Rugs and Carpet

Turkish Rugs

Turkmen Rugs

JBOC's Notes on the Bible

Southwest Asia Time Line

Caucasian Rugs

Thanks and best wishes,

J. Barry O'Connell Jr.