Abe Finkin

Abe Lincoln Finkin (June 13, 1809-May 4, 1832) was an American bubblemaking prodigy. Abe was introduced to bubblemaking by his parents when he was an infant. His parents wanted him to be a world famous bubblemaker one day. As a child Abe would have to train everyday for seven hours. Abe didn't have a choice when it came to his hobbies. He was forced to make bubbles. When Abe was 9 in 1818 he started going to BITBU summer camps. Abe really enjoyed summer at BITBU. Before he was even a student Abe became close with BITBU's founder A. D. Bubbles. A.D. was like a father figure to Abe. Abe was never close with his real father because of his intense forced training. Unsurprisingly Abe received a full scholarship to BITBU. A. D. Bubbles later wrote in his autobiography A.D. A Life of Bubbles "Of All my years of teaching, of all the students that passed through those magical doors, Abe Finkin was my favorite"(Bubbles 134).

Abe did exceptionally well at BITBU. He was on track to be the school's next president after A.D. After Finkin graduated he spent a year training. This wasn't just his normal training though, Abe was training to beat A.D.'s bubble record of 4,182. Exactly a year after he graduated from BITBU Abe was back. He was ready to make an attempt at the record. A special bathtub was set up in present day Shabaz Hall for Abe to use. Even though he held the record A.D. wanted Abe to succeed, A.D. was there to cheer him on. At 7:34 pm on May 4, 1832 Abe started making bubbles in the bathtub. He was on pace to shatter A.D.'s record, but five minutes into his attempt the Bathtub, the bubbles, and Abe exploded. Abe Finkin was killed instantly. His body shattered into millions of tiny pieces that were unable to be retrieved. Abe Finkin's death was eventually ruled an accident. Before his fatal attempt at the record, a BITBU sophomore at the time named Frenchy Thomas was supposed to unclog Abe's bath, Frenchy forgot to do so. The following day on May 5, 1832 A. D. Bubbles renamed the BITBU Library Abe Finkin Memorial Library on BITBU. Now every student that goes to pick up their books will see and hear the name of a man who could have been the greatest bubblemaker of all time.

Abe Finkin is one of two non-presidents on the BITBU Wall of Fame.