Only a Penny
How a Lebanese-American Family Overcame Profound Poverty and Found Prosperity
Sharon Abercia & John Evans
Can only a penny make a difference in your life?
Maybe not now, but it did for a seven-year-old boy, his young mother, and his five siblings living in Houston, Texas. Only a Penny is the inspiring story of the Abercias—a Lebanese immigrant family who crawled out of profound poverty and into prominence.
God, family, and country formed their foundation. Their goal was to work hard to assimilate into the American culture of freedom and be a part of what this country had to offer. Ralph (the oldest son) and his siblings sold homemade Syrian bread (pita bread), flower bouquets that his mother crafted from their garden, newspapers, and apples—anything they could to make the pennies that sustained them. Relying on each other to survive, they developed a lifelong bond and a strength that carried them through the Great Depression and World War II and propelled them into prosperity as they become a nationally recognized American-Lebanese family, revered by the Lebanese and Eastern Orthodox communities across the United States and Canada.
Authors Sharon Abercia and John Evans tell this family’s story, sharing with us the values of the Greatest Generation that serve as a moral compass and a foundation for us all.
Married couple John Evans and Sharon Abercia spent the first year and a half of their relationship writing Only a Penny, the story of Sharon's father.
Sharon has a BS in marketing and advertising from the University of Texas at Austin and is the founder of The Monarch PR Group. After leaving college, Sharon had a successful modeling career and owned The Ben Shaw Modeling and Talent Agency. Sharon also spent several years in the oil and gas business as founder of Tri-Coastal Energy Partners. Sharon’s hobbies are writing and collecting art. She is also an officer/board member of several local and national organizations. She is involved in both local and national politics and also contributes to numerous charities. Sharon is very committed to her Lebanese community locally and nationally, as well as St. George Orthodox Church and the Ladies of Houston Charity.
John has a BS in chemical engineering and an MBA in finance. He also holds a professional Engineer License in the State of Texas. He attended the Naval Academy, the University of Colorado, and the University of New Orleans. John was a scholarship athlete in tennis at the University of Colorado and the Naval Academy. John currently works with TPC Group. His hobbies are sculpting and writing, and he also loves rare books and Middle Eastern poetry. In fact, he has a collection that was his grandfather’s. In January of 2024, John had an unveiling of his latest sculpture, “Passion,” a near life-size expression of an Arabic dancer.
Sharon and John reside in Houston, Texas, and have four beautiful adult children of whom they are very proud.
