The Wharton High Grad Has A Bench At New Tampa Rec Center Dedicated In His Honor & Memory
District 7 Tampa City Council member and New Tampa resident Luis Viera has led a lot of efforts to help the people in all areas of his district.
Very few of those efforts have been as personally important to him as the event that took place at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms on May 8, when Viera and the city’s Parks & Recreation Department unveiled a small plaque on a bench in the playground just outside the Rec Center dedicated in honor and memory of Gabriel (Gabe) Hassan.
Gabe is the Wharton High graduate who passed away in early 2024 at age 17 (less than two weeks after receiving his diploma from Wharton in his hospital room) from complications related to Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, a rare genetic form of leukemia affecting the bone marrow, exocrine pancreas and skeleton.
Viera admits that he was on a mission to find a way to honor and remember Gabe and was happy to be able to have the bench dedicated in his memory. He said that because it was only a bench dedication, not a renaming of a portion of the park, like with the Harrison Boonstoppel dedication we reported about a couple of issues ago, he did not have to have City Council vote to make this dedication happen.
“I was able to do it administratively,” Viera said. “But, I did make a presentation to Council, and had Gabe’s parents, Mahmoud and Carolyn Hassan, attend that meeting last October to show their support for the idea.”
The Dedication
“We’re here to honor the legacy of a young man who left us too soon,” Viera said as he opened the dedication event on May 8. “There are some hurts in life that no person should ever have to go through, but some people do go through them. And, they hurt in places that we didn’t know exist. When you undergo that pain, you’re tested in ways that you never knew, but so are your friendships and so is your family and so is your faith. And I can tell you the Hassan family, [their] friendships and faith have been tested.
“But, just look at all of the diverse people here today — Muslim brothers and sisters, Christian brothers and sisters, the State of Florida (State House Minority Leader, Dist. 67 Rep. Fentrice Driskell was on hand), Hillsborough County Public Schools (Dist. 3 School Board member and New Tampa resident Jessica Vaughn also was in attendance), the City of Tampa, Jewish brothers and sisters…all coming here to support them. That’s what this moment is truly all about.
“Gabe was a young man who was truly exceptional. He would undergo some terrible struggles in his life and he would meet them with characteristics that were truly God-given because he was a child of God created with resiliency and strength…the kind of resiliency and strength that comes from being raised by a good mom and a good dad and [being] loved by a family.
“And I have no doubt that when Gabe went through his struggles, he would remember not only the strength from his creator, but also the lessons and values that were imparted to him day by day, by the love given to him by his mother, his father and his entire family.
“He was a young man of achievement who, despite all of his struggles, would get a 4.7 GPA at Wharton High School. And he was an Eagle Scout. That means something. It’s about integrity, character and patriotism. It’s about love of your community.
“His parents speak of a young man who loved his community deeply with all of his heart.
“And he was a young man who believed in his faith, who was raised unapologetically a believer of the Muslim faith, passed down from his parents, from their parents and from their parents and so on. He reached into that faith during his darkest times, [during] his deepest hits.
“There’s a saying, ‘My feet are tired, but my soul is well-rested.’ But sometimes, your soul isn’t well rested, especially when you have these tremendous hits. It’s on everybody here to support this family and to always check up on them.”
Up next was Gabe’s Scoutmaster, long-time New Tampa resident Dave Thompson, who said, “I’ve spent the last week with hundreds of thoughts about what to say.
“I’m not here to mourn the passing of a young man. I’m here to celebrate the life of a young friend — a life of compassion, service, curiosity and determination, something his mom would call ‘stubborn.’
“But, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him and his family for over twelve years, from the time he joined my Cub Pack 280 at Turner- Bartels to the time he crossed over to our Scout Troop 148, and Gabe was a daily inspiration to me. Despite his physical challenges, Gabe was a happy soul. He never whined or complained about his situation, it was all just part of his reality.
“He was always there whenever anyone needed him. As one of our older Scouts, if a younger Scout was having challenges with setting up the tent on a campout, Gabe was the first one to show him how to do it and help him put it together. The younger Scouts often sought him out when they had questions, because Gabe was always approachable. He was there whenever we had service projects to complete, whether it was a food drive for the food pantry, raising a fence at the church, painting classrooms at Wharton or upgrading the playground at Quail Hollow Elementary.
“And, even while in the hospital, Gabe, through his determination, completed his studies to graduate from high school and finish the requirements for his Eagle Scout. Many of us in that situation would’ve just given up. Not Gabe. I don’t think that ever occurred to him. It just wasn’t in his nature.
“One of my favorite memories was when I was driving three of the Scouts back from an event. One was Jewish, one was Catholic and one was Gabe. The boys were carrying on a conversation, talking about their faiths…just a beautiful conversation, talking about the similarities and differences. There was no arguing or fighting, each was just teaching a little bit about themselves to the others.
“And I thought about how nice it would be if all of us could share thoughts and ideas like this. And that was Gabe, caring and sharing.
“It’s been two years, but not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. I still hear him in my mind saying, ‘Hey, Mr. Dave.’ I have a lot of good memories of him.
“And now that this bench is here, I’ll be visiting occasionally, just to sit and talk with my friend, because I know he’ll be listening.”
And finally, Mahmoud Hassan thanked Viera and the Parks & Rec Dept. for dedicating the bench “in honor of our son Gabriel.
“Dear Gabriel, we love you so much and we admire the amazing but short life you lived. Mom and I always called you our ‘Sunshine Baby, because Gabriel was born on May 10, 2006, on a beautiful, sunny day.
“As we commemorate you and dedicate this bench in your honor, it is still a beautiful, sunny day.
“You radiance illuminates us with precious memories and how loving you were to us and how much we dearly loved you. This Sunday would have been your 20th birthday, and although sunny days are ahead, your passing has left us with the darkness and gloom that still causes us to cry and lament your unfortunate passing.
“You have visited your Dad in dreams and I feel your warmth and caress during my prayers. You are with our Lord now and I get a sense of serenity that you are in comfort and peace as you await your family to one day join you.
“We are so proud of your accomplishments and we look at your pictures in awe of how bright, kind and noble you were. One of the things I admire most about you, Gabriel, was your bravery. You were not shy about approaching strange situations, or speaking to people.
“Most of all, you faced your own death with peace and understanding that you will meet God. I can only hope and pray that I will be as brave as you when my time comes.
“Gabriel had said, ‘There is no power, verily, than that which God provides.’
“Gabriel was at peace. He prayed with me, and he knew that the end was coming, and I talked to him peacefully about that. And although I expected him to shake with fear, a calmness and serenity was with him that I can not describe in words. When you’re in that state, and you have a connection with your higher power, with God, God puts that serenity in you…and he was glowing with that serenity. I will never forget that glow he had that day.
“We miss your laughter, your silliness, your voice, as well as your warm embrace. Mom, Sophia (Gabe’s sister) and I are still struggling to make it through each day, and we wish you were still here with us.
“Your new baby brother, Ibrahim, is a shining light and a precious gift from God. And, when he was born, I felt your presence protecting him. I know you are watching over him and I feel your love for him…until you eventually meet one another.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you and the impact you had on our lives. You are my first-born son, and one of the strongest shining lights in our lives. I still miss you very dearly, and I will always love you, dear Gabriel.
“I hope that this bench brings comfort and peace to our community members who come by this park and need a place to sit and relax.
“I want to thank the [city] officials, and the Parks & Recreation director (Ted Fowler), for dedicating this honor (photo below) to him.
“And most of all, I just want to say that, as a father, this is one of the deepest tragedies I’ve ever faced. But, every day, you inspire me, dear Gabriel, to keep striving on. I don’t get lost in despair, but rather, I get moved by hope when I think of this. Thank you all again for coming.”
