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Industrial Themes in Alison Bechdel's Graphic Memoir

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Here is the cemetery where Bruce Bechdel, Alison Bechdel’s father, is buried. He was born on April 8, 1936 in Beech Creek and died on July 2, 1980 only a few miles from the family’s home.

The map Alison drew illustrating some of the major locations in her father's life.

The map Alison drew illustrating some of the major locations in her father's life.

Bruce Allen Bechdel's grave marker.

Bruce Allen Bechdel's grave marker.

Bruce Bechdel was one of 4 children born of Claude and Dorothy Bechdel. After Claude’s death in 1963, Bruce was put in charge of operating the family business as a third generation mortician. His real passions though were literature, art, and history. 

Beech Creek itself is a small borough in Clinton County, founded circa 1839. According to World Population Review, Beech Creek is estimated to have a population of roughly 691 residents in 2020 with a 97.81% Caucasian demographic. Besides his brief encounter with Europe, much of Bruce’s life occurred within the limits of the borough. Alison has not chosen to live in Beech Creek like many of her family members, and prefers to settle in urban cities. 

  • Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York, 2006.
  • Bechdel, Leanne Keefer. “Bruce Allen Bechdel.” Find a Grave. Added 29 July, 2006. 
  • “Beech Creek, Pennsylvania.” World Population Review. Accessed 9 February, 2020.
  • Bellafante, Ginia. “Twenty Years Later, The Walls Still Talk.” The New York Times. 3 August, 2006.
Image Sources(Click to expand)

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York, 2006, 30.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14773553/bruce-allen-bechdel