In Memoriam – Spring 2022

 

Adil A Iliya (BA ’44, MD ’48) passed away on March 12, 2022. He was 98 years old. Dr. Iliya was born in Lebanon on April 24, 1923. After earning his MD degree at AUB, he completed his surgical training at St.  Paul Hospital in Dallas, Texas, and at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1959 he opened his clinic in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas and practiced medicine and surgery for 25 years. He closed his surgical practice in 1983 so that he could devote himself full-time to medical missionary work in Africa, which he did until 1990. He was an avid gardener, photographer, and an aficionado of classical music. Dr. Iliya is survived by his wife of 72 years, Dolores; his four children, including son Sam Iliya and wife Joyce, daughter Rosemary Iliya Obeid and husband Kamal, son Dr. John Iliya and wife Dr. Jean Stachon, and son Dr. Charles Iliya and wife Rebecca; 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Najwa Shaheen Haffar, NaSH, (BA English Literature ’51), passed away on August 24, 2022. The daughter of Nikula Jirjis Shahin (BA 1918, MA 1920), professor of physics at AUB from 1939 to 1962, Najwa grew up among the close-knit AUB community. Frequent visits to concerts in Assembly Hall and plays in West Hall nurtured her love for theater, literature, choir, and the campus itself. It was at AUB that she met the love of her life, Kamal Rifaat Haffar (BA ’51), whom she would marry in 1954. As editor-in-chief and writer for Al-Kulliyah, she worked with Jacob Thadeus (MD ’50) and a dedicated committee and staff to produce the alumni magazine on a shoestring budget for many years. This was her second collaboration with Thadeus, with whom she had worked on Outlook. NaSH, the pen name she used, is survived by her three children, Rifat, Omar, and Dana, all of whom are AUB alumni; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Adnan George Iskandar (BA Political Studies ’51, MA Public Administration ’52) passed away on April 25, 2022. Professor Iskandar was born in Kfarhata, Al-Koura, in the north of Lebanon in 1930. After earning his BA and MA degrees at AUB, he attended the American University in Washington, DC, where he earned a PhD. He returned to his alma mater as an instructor in public administration in 1957 and held numerous positions, including director of personnel (1961–62), assistant professor of public administration (1962–69), associate professor of public administration (1968–81), professor of political studies and public administration (1982–90 and 1993–98), and vice president for university relations (1990–1993). Ibrahim Khoury, special advisor to the president for protocol and external relations at the American University of Beirut, remembers him as “a tireless fighter for administrative reform . . . who championed transparency in public affairs and believed that fighting corruption in the administration can only come after the eradication of political corruption.”

Nicola Khuri (BA Economics and Statistics ’52) passed away on August 4, 2022. He was the longest-serving trustee in the history of the American University of Beirut and had a profound impact on his alma mater. He played a key role in the establishment of AUB’s Center for Advanced Mathematical Sciences (CAMS) in 1999.

Khuri worked especially closely in support of AUB with Board of Trustees chair emeritus Dr. Richard Debs, who lauded his long-time friend as “a great scientist, a great academician, a great teacher, a great innovator, and a pillar of strength for the American University of Beirut through good times and bad, over many decades. His imprint on the university will survive for many more decades ahead.”

Born in Beirut on May 27, 1933, Khuri was a brilliant student, graduating from AUB at the age of 19. After completing his undergraduate degree, he moved to the United States to attend Princeton University, where he earned his MA (1955) and PhD (1957) degrees. He returned to AUB in 1957 as an assistant professor of physics. In 1964, he accepted a position at the Rockefeller University in New York, where he remained for the rest of his career. Khuri was a renowned scholar who was celebrated for his work as head of Rockefeller University’s Laboratory of Theoretical Physics. A fellow of the American Physical Society, a visiting scientist at CERN, and a consultant to the Brookhaven National Laboratory, he was elected a trustee of the American University of Beirut in 1969. In 2009, he was awarded the University Medal, AUB’s highest honor.

In a message to the AUB community on August 9, 2022, Philip S. Khoury, chair of the AUB Board of Trustees, wrote, “Khuri’s financial and mathematical acumen was instrumental in helping AUB avoid bankruptcy during the Civil War. As chair of the BOT Academic Affairs Committee in the years following the end of the war, Khuri’s academic rigor and determination helped ensure AUB became once more the leading research university in the Middle East by recruiting topflight faculty.”

Khuri is predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Tyson Khuri, MD, and his brother Raja. N. Khuri (BS ’55, MD ’59), former dean of the AUB Faculty of Medicine. He is survived by his sister Selwa Najib (BA ’59); his brother Antoine Najib (former AUB student); his daughter, Suzanne Odette Khuri, and her husband, Vijay Seshadri; his son, Nicholas Andreas, and his wife, Claire; his grandchildren, Nicholas, Grace, and Gloria; and ten nieces and nephews, including AUB president Fadlo R. Khuri.

Professor Makhlouf J. Haddadin (BS Chemistry ’57, MS Chemistry ’59) passed away on September 21, 2022. In a message he sent to the AUB community, President Fadlo R. Khuri lauded Haddadin as a “pioneer in the field of organic chemistry, an icon at the American University of Beirut, and a beloved friend and mentor to so many.”

Haddadin was born in Ma’in, Jordan, on March 21, 1935, and attended high school at the Hussein College
in Amman. He was awarded a full scholarship from the Jordanian Ministry of Education to study chemistry at AUB, where he discovered “all [he] had hoped for in a university—outstanding faculty, a beautiful campus, and friends for life.” Haddadin blazed a path to university and graduate education for many members of his family, including all four of his younger siblings. After completing his master’s degree at AUB, Haddadin moved to the US, where he earned a PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Colorado, Boulder, before doing postdoctoral research at Harvard University. He returned to AUB in 1965.

During his 57 years at his alma mater, Haddadin held many senior administrative positions, including vice president for academic affairs (1987–99) and acting president on three occasions. He also earned a global reputation and many accolades for his achievements in heterocyclic chemistry, which resulted in the publication of more than 125 scholarly papers in prestigious international journals. He was elected to the Lebanese Academy of Sciences in 2009.

Haddadin was especially celebrated for his groundbreaking research with AUB professor Constantine Issidorides. Their collaboration led to their co-discovery of the Beirut Reaction in 1965, which greatly impacted the field of pharmaceutical chemistry and yielded 40 patents in numerous countries. In 2005, Haddadin and Distinguished Professor Mark J. Kurth of the University of California at Davis discovered the “Davis-Beirut Reaction.” In 2018, Haddadin was appointed the inaugural Bonnie and Constantine Issidorides Chair in Organic Chemistry at AUB. He continued to be an active researcher and member of the faculty until his retirement in spring 2022.

On October 6, 2022, following the announcement of the award in July, Khuri presented Haddadin’s family with the University Medal “in recognition of distinguished and meritorious service to the university.” Haddadin’s legacy will forever live on at AUB and in the lives of the students, colleagues, and friends that he touched during his extraordinary life. Family, friends, and former colleagues are joining together to honor his memory by supporting the Makhlouf Haddadin Endowed Awards and Lectureships, established in 2011. Proceeds support the Makhlouf Haddadin Awards, which are presented to distinguished graduating chemistry undergraduate and graduate students at commencement and the annual Makhlouf Haddadin Lectureship/Symposium.

Yeghia G. Babikian (BA Education ’54, MA Education ’57) passed away on November 9, 2021, in Pasadena, California. He was a scholar, educator, administrator, prolific writer, and a mentor to generations of students. He carried a posture of rare integrity, humility, and objectivity. The multiple awards, recognitions, and accolades that he received from community leaders and city and state officials were not important to him. His main goal in life was to honor and please God. Dr. Babikian was a visionary who established churches, founded colleges for Armenian communities, and encouraged people to use their God-given gifts. His selfless love for his wife, Margo (RN ’60); his two boys, Ariel (Kohar) and Hovel (Meline); and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren was immeasurable. He will be deeply missed.

Nadim Haddad, MPH (BA ’50 MD ’54) passed away on October 29, 2022. He was born on December 31, 1929, in Ramleh, Palestine. Throughout his global career in public health, he stayed in close touch with his alma mater, conducting research and supporting master of public health (MPH) students. In 2020, he established the Dr. Nadim Adib Haddad MPH Academic Achievement Award, which is granted each year in recognition of excellence in academic performance in the MPH program. Haddad held academic appointments at AUB, the University of Texas School of Public Health, and Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. He is survived by his loving wife, Mona Saba Haddad; his four sons, Issam (and Linda), Haitham, Layth (and Emily), and Juwayn (and September); and 12 grandchildren. He was, remembers the family, “both an anchor and compass” and “will be remembered for his unconditional love, deep loyalty, strong sense of duty, steady patience, and sharp wit.”

Isam Nazmi Anabtawi (MD ’56) passed away in Port Arthur, Texas, on May 29, 2022, at the age of 91. After receiving his MD from AUB, Dr. Isam did his residency in general surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, becoming board certified in that field. He then did another residency in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the University of Georgia Medical Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, and became board certified in that specialty as well. He was later appointed assistant professor of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the University of Georgia Medical School, where he spent several years. He then went into private practice in Port Arthur, Texas, where he performed the first open-heart surgery in the city. He was also a frequent contributor to scholarly journals. Isam is survived by three siblings, Dr. Aida Anabtawi (BA ’50), Dr. Samir Anabtawi, and Najwa Anabtawi (MA ’60); three children, Rima, Karim, and Nadia; and many grandchildren. He will be deeply missed.

Adib Tawfik Saad (BS Agriculture ’57, MS Crop Production ’59), former dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, passed away on September 25, 2022. He was born on February 13, 1934, in Keyfoun, Lebanon. Dr. Saad was a longtime member of the AUB faculty. After receiving his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1964, he returned to AUB as an assistant professor of plant pathology. He was promoted to associate professor in 1971 and to full professor in 1979. In 1990, he was appointed dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, a position he held until 1994. He retired in 2017. Professor Adib was a longtime member of numerous professional societies, including the American Phytopathological Society, the Arab Society for Plant Protection (ASPP), the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), the International Society of Plant Pathology (ISPP), and the Union of Arab Biologists. He is survived by his son, Rani (BEN ’93), and his two daughters, Dalia (BS Biology ’93, MD ’97) and Layal (BBA ’02). He will be remembered, with great admiration and respect, by his many friends, colleagues, and students.

 

Suhayl Shukri Saleh (MD ’61) passed away on March 14, 2022. He was born in Jaffa, Palestine, on January 20, 1937. He had a distinguished career as a leading cardiovascular surgeon and as a prominent educator at the Royal Medical Services in Amman (1968–83), where he headed the Heart Center. He later moved on to help two other hospitals in setting up their units for cardiovascular surgery. In 1996, he participated in laying the foundations for the Jordan Hospital and served on its medical team from 1996–2020. Dr. Suhayl was also a visiting professor at the American University of Beirut (1980–82), chief of staff at the Queen Alia Heart Institute in Amman (1981–83), and a clinical professor at the Jordan University School of Medicine. Throughout his career, he worked to develop and train residents in cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery. His good friend and long-time colleague, Dr. Jarir Halazun (MD ’67), remembers him as “a pioneer in cardiothoracic surgery.” He will be remembered most for his humanity and unrelenting dedication to his patients and as someone who pushed the boundaries of care. He is survived by his wife, Umayma; his three children, Shukry, Omar, and Tamara; and his two sisters, Lena and Diana Saleh.

George Tomey (BEN ’62) passed away on November 23, 2022. He was a mentor and treasured colleague to generations during his more than 40-year career at his alma mater. Tomey will always be especially remembered for his extraordinary contributions to the university during the Lebanese Civil War. In a message he sent to the AUB community, President Fadlo R. Khuri wrote about those days when Tomey worked “around the clock within the Crisis Response Team that he formed, through shortages of food, fuel, water, and electricity.” Tomey will also be remembered for his unwavering concern for people, including and especially AUB retirees. It was that concern that inspired a group of his colleagues to establish the George Tomey HIP Retirees Fund in his honor when he retired from AUB in 2006. Proceeds from this fund have been used to pay the health insurance premiums for more than 2,000 retirees enabling them to continue to receive medical care at the AUB Medical Center. Tomey began his career at AUB in 1964 when he joined the Department of Physiology as a research assistant. From there he moved to administration, first at the Faculty of Medicine, where he was assistant dean for administration for four years (1984-88), and then at the university when he was appointed vice president for administration in 1987, a position he held until he retired. He will be deeply missed by his family, including his wife Katia, his daughters Zeina and Lara, his granddaughter Oriana, and by the thousands of colleagues and students whose lives he touched.

Theodore Christidis (BS Physics ’67, MS Physics ’70, PhD Physics ’74) passed away on November 27, 2022. A proud AUB alumnus, he joined the AUB faculty in fall 1977 after completing post-doctoral research at the Clarendon Laboratory at Oxford University (1974-76) and then at Saint Louis University (1976-77). He was promoted to associate professor in 1986. He served on several faculty and university committees and was assistant to the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for laboratory affairs from 2004 to 2022. Professor Christidis was a steadfast experimental scientist who was pivotal in establishing the Kamal A. Shair Central Research Science Lab and developing Department of Physics laboratories; he inspired generations of students in the advanced lab courseshe taught. In his message to the AUB community, Dr. Jihad Touma, chair of
the Department of Physics wrote, “Prof. Christidis served physics, the craft, and its department, then natural sciences at large, during the critical war years and beyond. He did so under extreme circumstances and with unfailing dedication, drawing on his remarkable acumen as an experimentalist, administrative wisdom, and invariable insistence on scientific rationality which he carried through till his last days as he fought a difficult battle with a forbidding illness.” Mamdouha El-Sayed Bobst Faculty of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Saouma BouJaoude remembered Professor Christidis as a “committed, friendly, and generous teacher, mentor, and advisor who served AUB for the past 46 years.” He is survived by his wife, Anbar Nashashibi; his son, Omar; and his daughters, Nadia and Nour.

 

Helena Victoria “Vicki” Freeman (BA English ’67) was born in Houma, Louisiana, on October 27, 1944. She passed in Florida on October 26, 2021, just one day shy of her 77th birthday. Vicki led a life filled with adventure, travel, study, work, love, and long-lasting friendships. On a trip after her high school graduation to visit her beloved Aunt Helen, who worked at the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, Vicki made friends with an American student who was going to study at AUB. She went herself to Beirut in September 1963, earning her BA in English in 1967. She was married briefly to Phaedon Antonopoulous (BA ’67). In 1969, she and her future husband, Roland Richardson, a teaching fellow at the International College in Beirut, headed for Helsinki, where they were hosted by Tim Andrews, her first English literature professor at AUB. After a year, she and Roland returned to his homeland, the Caribbean island of St. Martin French West Indies. After five years on the island, Vicki headed for New York and taught English as a second language for two years before returning to the south, where she earned her master’s degree in French from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1979. Her next stop was Paris, where she taught for a year at a French lycée on an educational exchange program before returning to the US to settle in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where, aside from two years on a sailboat in the Bahamas, she remained, establishing a career in banking and real estate. She leaves behind a brother, two nephews, and a host of devoted friends. All will miss her southern charm.

 

Lina Maalouf Saad (BA Psychology ’72, MA Psychology ’76) passed away on March 11, 2022, at the age of 70. She was the faithful wife of Ghassan Saad; the loving mother of Fouad, Tarek, and Lily; and a treasured grandmother to Michael and Marc Bejjani and Charles, Paul, and Julien Saad. She is also survived by her brother Ramzi. Lina comes from a proud extended family of AUB alumni including grandparents, parents, siblings, uncles, and aunts. Although Lina excelled in her studies and was top of her class throughout her education, she dedicated her life to the care of her family and would later volunteer her time in healthcare and education. She will be fondly remembered for her kindness, humility, and touchingly endearing smile. She was a beautiful and truly compassionate soul who was loved by everyone.

 

 

Abdulrahim Abu-Husayn (BA English ’75, MA Anthropology ’78, PhD History ’82) passed away on June 23, 2022. Dr. Abu-Husayn was born in Nuba, Palestine, in 1951. He attended secondary school in Amman, Jordan, before moving to Lebanon to attend the American University of Beirut. After earning his PhD, he joined the faculty as a beloved and respected scholar who taught generations of students about the history of Lebanon, Arab history under the Ottomans, Ottoman history, and the history of Lebanon through the novel. As a doctoral student and throughout his career, Dr. Abu-Husayn worked especially closely with the late professor Kamal Salibi, his mentor and good friend. He was inducted as an honorary member of the Turkish Historical Society in 2013. Dr. Abu-Husayn is remembered by Saouma BouJaoude, the Mamdouha El-Sayed Bobst Faculty of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean, as “a gentle, kind, generous soul and a colossal scholar whose dedication and love of AUB helped preserve its legacy through both the bad and the good days.” President Fadlo R. Khuri lauded him as “an esteemed, humble, meticulous, and kind scholar” who “made an enormous difference in so many people’s lives.” He is survived by his son, Tarek Abou Hussein (BA Political Studies ’08), an assistant professor in AUB’s Department of History.

 

 

Anthony N. G. Wakim (MD ’78) passed away on August 23, 2022. He had a long and successful career as a physician in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Wakim was one of the original double-board-certified physicians, in OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinology and infertility, in the US. He lived life to the fullest, loving every moment. Many people looked up to him as a unique and inspiring role model. He was always available to help someone in need. He especially loved to travel and spend time with his family. He was devoted to his wife of nearly 40 years, Lena, and his daughter, Kamy, whom he adored. A lifelong learner, Dr. Wakim had a tremendous knowledge of history, geography, and world affairs, and he never tired of learning. He is survived by his loving wife, Lena Rebeiz; his daughter, Kathryn-Mary Wakim-Takaki; and his son-in-law, Nicholas Wakim-Takaki.

 

An internationally recognized expert on bipolar disorder, psychiatrist Hagop Souren Akiskal (1944–2021) helped to spark a global renaissance of the temperament field. His work, once seen as controversial and now understood as visionary, focused on subthreshold mood disorders. He introduced the concept of bipolar spectrum disorders, identified a close correlation between some personality disorders and cyclothymia, and established some chronic depressions as treatable mood disorders. An inspirational mentor to young investigators, he stressed the importance of a broad perspective that included biology, genetics, neurophysiology, and long-term outcome studies.

Akiskal was born in Beirut to Armenian parents and earned his medical degree at AUB in 1969. He moved to the United States for his psychiatric training and was appointed professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Tennessee (1972–90) and was subsequently recruited as the senior science adviser to the director of the National Institute of Mental Health (1990–94). His final move was to the University of California San Diego, where he served as professor of psychiatry and director of the International Mood Center. A devotee of Emil Kraepelin, Akiskal was known as an exacting researcher and an astute clinical observer. Fluent in five languages, he held consultant or editorial posts and distinguished lectureships worldwide.

Akiskal received the Gold Medal for Pioneer Research, the NARSAD Prize for Affective Disorders, the Jean Delay Prize for international collaborative  research, APA’s George Tarjan Award, the French Jules Baillarger Prize, and the Italian Aretaeus Prize for his research on the bipolar spectrum.

Etel Adnan passed away on November 14, 2021, at the age of 96. A celebrated Lebanese American poet, essayist, and visual artist, she was awarded AUB’s University Medal in 2017 in recognition of her extraordinary achievements as a writer and visual artist. Etel was born in Beirut in 1925 and grew up, as she recalled, “in the vicinity of AUB.” Her many artistic and literary contributions will enrich and enlighten our lives for generations to come. She is the author of Sitt Marie Rose (1978), The Arab Apocalypse (1980), Of Cities and Women (Letters to Fawwaz) (1993), In the Heart of Another Country (2005), and Shifting the Silence (2020). Her art has been exhibited at galleries around the world, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern; Institute de Monde Arabe, Paris; and the Serpentine Galleries in London. She and her longtime partner, Simone Fattal, established the Simone Fattal and Etel Adnan Endowed Scholarship at AUB, which supports archaeology students.

Trustee Emeritus Alfred C. DeCrane, Jr. passed away on September 22, 2021, at the age of 90. He was a lawyer, philanthropist, and a long-time member of AUB’s Board of Trustees, which he joined in 1973, shortly before the outbreak of Lebanon’s Civil War. “His invaluable budgetary, fiscal, and managerial advice, and his insistence that AUB computerize its operations significantly contributed to the university’s survival and growth,” remembers AUB President Fadlo R. Khuri. Mr. DeCrane knew the Middle East well as a lawyer with Texaco, which he joined in 1959, through years negotiating with OPEC, as a member of the board of Aramco, and as chairman and CEO of Texaco. A generous philanthropist, he and his wife Joan established the DeCrane Foundation Chair in International Economics at Notre Dame (from where he graduated magna cum laude) and scholarship funds at the University of Notre Dame; St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana; and at the Georgetown University Law Center. He and Joan especially enjoyed traveling, spending time with their children and grandchildren, and participating in golf, sailing, cycling, and paddleball. He will be deeply missed by his wife; a brother, Vincent, and sister, Clare; five children, David (Linda), Lisa (Alvaro), Stephanie (Paul), Sarah (Dan), and Jennifer (Jon); 16 grandchildren, one great-grandchild – and by AUB.

Angela Masri was born Angela Kegler in the small town of Lubbock, Texas, as an only child in 1934. She never dreamed that by the age of 19 she would be married to a Palestinian and living in the Middle East and would become a mother to six children and a grandmother to 18. Angela met Trustee Emeritus Munib Masri at the University of Texas when they were pursuing their degrees in geology. It was not long before they boarded a Swedish freighter in New York together heading to Beirut with their new born son, a 1956 blue Chevrolet, and two suitcases. They eventually made it to Nablus, Palestine. Angela learned Arabic quickly and immersed herself in Palestine’s culture and way of life. She became a passionate and active advocate for the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice. Angela co-founded with Trustee Masri the Jordan office for Geological and Engineering Services which later evolved into Edgo, a leading Middle East oil, gas, and water service provider. She raised six children, Rabih, Mai, Mazen, Dina, Omar, and Leith, and settled for 18 years in Beirut, which she loved. Angela taught her children to be modest and hardworking as she had been, have an understanding and respect for people of all backgrounds, and a deep affinity for nature. Angela was a keen advocate of renewable energy and protection of the environment. She witnessed Israel’s aggression on Lebanon and all the while she remained a solid anchor for her family even as the wars separated and scattered them to different parts of the world. Philanthropy and giving back were part of her life from the beginning as she was an active volunteer at the AUB hospital and Bargain Box. She was a co-founder of the Munib & Angela Masri Foundation which has helped many around the world, mainly in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan. AUB is one of the major recipients of the foundation’s generosity. Angela and her family inaugurated the Munib and Angela Masri Institute of Energy and Natural Resources at AUB in a ceremony on September 5, 2018. She will always be remembered as a much valued and loved member of the AUB family.

 

Jacqueline Ingram Morris passed away on November 26, 2021, at the age of 89. She was a long-time supporter of AUB, where her husband, Dr. Thomas Q. Morris, has served for almost 40 years as AUB trustee (1985–2009), vice chair and chair of the board (2005–09), and chairman emeritus (since 2009). Jacqueline was a talented artist who worked as a freelance fashion illustrator for a time. She shared her love of art and her artistic talent with many organizations over the years, especially schools. Jacqueline will be deeply missed by her loving family including her husband; three children, Thomas, Amy, and MaryAnne; and two grandchildren, Grace and Thomas.

Ahmad Moussalli, PhD, passed away on October 19, 2021. He was a member of the AUB faculty for over 30 years. A distinguished scholar, Dr. Ahmad earned his undergraduate degree from Al-Azhar University in 1980; his master’s degree from Saint John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1981; and his PhD from the University of Maryland in 1985. He authored numerous books and articles about Islamic political thought and ideologies of contemporary Islamic movements and political Islam, Western political theory and philosophy, East/West relations, cultural theories, and international relations. He is survived by his wife, Suheir, his son, Mohamad, and his daughter, Mariya. His family is establishing a scholarship at AUB in Dr. Ahmad’s name to support PSPA students.

Suad Malak Rubeiz was born in Jaffa, Palestine, in 1930. She passed away on March 19, 2022. A long-time staff member at AUB, Mrs. Rubeiz began working at the age of 19 as a teacher at AUB’s elementary school, which later became International College (IC). In 1961, she became a secretary in the General Education Program before moving to the Dean’s Office, where she became Dean Prothro’s administrative assistant. She worked for many years at the Center for Behavioral Studies with Professor Prothro when he was appointed director and later with Professor Samir Khalaf. She retired in 1996 leaving an indelible legacy of unflinching loyalty, discretion, and geniality. Mrs. Rubeiz was a member of the Peter Hanna Malak Scholarship Fund committee that supports Palestinian and Lebanese students at FAS. She was devoted to her husband, Hannibal Rubeiz, who died in 1994 and was the oldest and last survivor of her four siblings whose families will always be indebted to her for her love and care toward them all. She will be deeply missed by her many nieces and nephews and her many colleagues at AUB.

Abdallah Wahbe Tamari passed away on January 27, 2022, in his 100th year. He was born and raised in Jaffa, Palestine, where he and his family lived until they were forced to flee in 1948. He was the founder of Sucafina SA, a leading multinational coffee merchant. Abdallah Wahbe Tamari firmly believed in the power of education to transform lives. This has become the vision of the Tamari Foundation, a Geneva-based charitable foundation established in 2012. Abdallah Wahbe Tamari was also a trustee of the University of Balamand. He was a good friend and long-time supporter of AUB, where he established the Abdallah and Samia Tamari Endowed Scholarship in 2019. He is survived by his wife, Samia, his sons, Wahbe and Nicolas, his daughter, Della, and his brother, Dr. Joseph Tamari.

The noted Near East archaeologist Martha Sharp Joukowsky (1936–2022) led an extraordinary life of scholarship, teaching, and philanthropy. The daughter of parents who led significant rescue and relief missions across Europe during World War II, Joukowsky was well suited for a purposeful life. A force of nature in her zeal to uncover and preserve artifacts that unlock the mysteries of ancient cultures, Joukowsky led large-scale excavations and conducted field work in Turkey, Lebanon, Italy, Greece, and, most notably, Jordan. It was there that she discovered and excavated the Great Temple at Petra under the auspices of Brown University. During her long career at Brown, Martha Joukowsky met and married fellow student Artemis Joukowsky, joined the faculty as an archaeology professor, retired as an emerita professor, and with Artemis founded the eponymous Joukowsky Institute of Archaeology and the Ancient World.

Joukowsky’s joy of discovery was matched only by her passion for mentoring future generations of archaeologists, enriching the lives of students at Brown and AUB, and setting them on unexpected career paths. After earning her master’s degree in archaeology from AUB in 1972, Joukowsky remained involved with the university and its archaeological museum. In a 1989 letter to US senator Claiborne Pell, she eloquently lobbied for financial aid, writing, “The best long-term hope for dispelling the mistrust and hatreds which convulse the region is a commitment to the tolerance and humaneness which the university [AUB] represents. The excellent scholarship for which the university has so long been famous is also vital to preserving and enhancing understanding of the rich cultural diversity of the Middle East.”

Joukowsky was appointed as an AUB trustee in 1987 and as trustee emerita in 2010. In 2004, she and Artemis—who predeceased her by slightly more than a year—gave a substantial gift to AUB’s Campaign for Excellence, enabling the university to transform its museum into a world-class institution. The third oldest archaeological museum in the region, the AUB Archaeological Museum houses incomparable collections of Cypriot and Phoenician art and artifacts, among other treasures.

AUB will forever honor the life and legacy of Martha Sharp Joukowsky, a rare find.

“When you establish an endowed scholarship,” explains Anna Al Hassan, “it gives you hope and energy for the future.” Al Hassan has supported two scholarships at AUB—one in the memory of Mohammad Hassan El-Chaar, who was just 16 when he was killed in an explosion, and the second in the memory of her late husband, General Wissam Al Hassan. “I did not know Mohammad, but his death shocked me. I immediately thought, ‘This could have been one of my sons.’ So, when his parents asked me to support the scholarship that they were establishing at AUB in their son’s name, I did not hesitate.” It was her involvement in the Mohammad Hassan El-Chaar Memorial Scholarship that inspired her to do something similar in the name of her late husband. “In this way, I am helping current and future students at AUB—and keeping the name of my late husband alive.” Anna hopes that she is also inspiring her sons to support scholarships at AUB. “I want them to continue what I have started,” she says. Anna has had a chance to meet some of the students who have benefited from these two scholarships. “I can’t tell you how good a feeling this is—your heart soars when you see the impact you are having. It’s amazing,” she says.