In Memoriam

Nasrat Fadda (BS ’45), PhD, passed away on August 5, 2022. He was born in Akka, Palestine. After graduating from AUB, he worked and studied in Jerusalem for two years until receiving a full scholarship in England. Following the occupation of Palestine, he managed to self-finance his education and completed a doctorate in biology at the Imperial College of Science in 1955. Dr. Nasrat served in various research posts in East and Central Africa for 20 years, including as chief research officer at the Kenana Research Station in Sudan and FAO project manager at the Institute of Agricultural Research in Ethiopia. Between 1975 and 1988, he worked for the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development as director of the Operations Department. In 1988, he returned to research as director general of ICARDA, a post he held until 1995. After his retirement, Dr. Nasrat was president of the Arab Development Society in Jericho, an agriculturally based welfare NGO. He spent the last few years with his wife in Neuenbürg, Germany. He will be deeply missed.​

Alice Katherine Fakhry (née Shiber) (BA History ’51), born in Jerusalem, passed away peacefully on January 2, 2023. She was married for 66 years to the late Dr. Majid F. Fakhry, emeritus professor of philosophy and chair of the AUB Department of Philosophy. She is survived by her daughter, Rima; her sons, Samir and Bassem; and three grandchildren. Alice earned an AA degree from the Beirut College for Women (now LAU) and a BA in history from AUB, where she pursued master’s studies. She volunteered with the Women’s Auxiliary at AUB, was president of the Women’s League and the Lioness Club in Lebanon, and was a long-time member of the Welcome to Washington International Club in Washington, DC. A prize-winning flower arranger, Alice was a gracious hostess and a loving wife and mother. Rima was by her side during her long period of illness. She will be remembered fondly by her family and many friends. A memorial service will be held later this year. Donations in her honor may be sent to AUB. You may contact Rima at rima.fakhry@gmail.com to send messages to the family.

Samir Said Najjar (BA General ’54, MD ’57) passed away on February 3, 2023. He was an emeritus professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine, former dean of the Faculty of Medicine at AUB, and the first pediatric endocrinologist in the region. He was also a beloved mentor, doctor, colleague, and scholar and leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of service and scholarship. “We at AUB and at our medical center will forever be grateful for all that Dr. Najjar has done for his alma mater, where he spent the vast majority of his life, and for the extraordinary service he rendered the wider world,” said President Fadlo R. Khuri in a message he sent to the AUB community on February 6, 2023.

Dr. Najjar was born on May 17, 1932, in Beit-Meri. After graduating from AUB in 1957, he went to the US where he completed two years of residency in pediatrics (1957-59) and one year of fellowship in pediatric endocrinology (1959- 60) at the University of Iowa Hospital. He also completed a two-year fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1964-66) and returned as a visiting professor (1970-71).

He spent 27 years (1960-87) at AUB during which time he led the Department of Pediatrics as acting chairman (1966-68) then as chairman (1968-86) and served as deputy chief of staff at AUBMC (1972-76). He was promoted to full professor in 1974. Between 1987 and 1994, Dr. Najjar was based in the US where he was associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Rotch Medical Service (1986-88) and clinical director of the Division of Endocrinology (1988-94) at Children’s Hospital, Boston, where he won the Janeway Award for excellence in teaching (1990).

In 1994, he returned to his alma mater as professor of pediatrics and dean of the Faculty of Medicine and AUB Medical Center, a position he held until 2000. Throughout his career and even as he continued to assume ever greater administrative responsibilities, he was always a teacher. He was awarded Teacher of the Year at the Department of Pediatrics in 2005 and 2009. Dr. Najjar was also a widely respected scholar in his field. He was on the Advisory Expert Panel of Pediatric Endocrinology.

He is deeply missed by generations of patients and students – and by friends and family including his wife, Amal Takieddine Najjar (MA Education ’83), and his children, Rula, Samer, and Raya.

Marwan George Najjar (BA Arabic, TD ’69) passed away on February 14, 2023. He was a celebrated writer and producer who forged a unique creative path that transcended the worlds of Lebanese drama, marketing and advertising, television, and journalism. He is especially well known for several television series that he developed that captured the experience of growing up in Lebanon, including Diala, Al Estaz Mandour, Lamhit Hob, Bent El Hay, Min Ahla Byout Ras Beirut, Fares Eben Em Fares, Talbeen El Ereb, and Meryena. Najjar also wrote and produced numerous plays, including Le3b El Far, 3arisen Medri Men Wein, 3amte Najibe, and Kermel el Ma7rous. During his career, Najjar worked with many leading luminaries, including Kifah Fakhoury, Hind Abillama, Antoine S. Rémi, and Fouad Aouad. He leaves behind a towering body of work that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. He is predeceased by his brother, Ramsey (BA Arabic, TD ’74), founder of Saatchi & Saatchi Levant, who passed away on November 19, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19. Marwan will be deeply missed by his wife, Ferial W. Fernainé; his children, Rana Najjar Nalbandian, Lama Najjar (BA Public Administration ’01), and Ziad Najjar; and legions of friends, colleagues, and fans.

Richard K. Khuri (former student 1973–76) passed away on November 5, 2021, at the age of 66. Forced by the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War to finish his studies at UC Berkeley (UCB), Richard obtained BS (1977) and master’s (1978) degrees in civil engineering and a PhD (1986) in philosophy from UCB. Since his early days at IC, Richard was recognized as a brilliant mind, and he was a true polymath throughout his life. He taught at several institutions in the US and published extensively in philosophical journals before he returned to Lebanon in 2004 and taught philosophy at the Lebanese American University until 2013, when his ill health prevented him from continuing his academic career. In addition to his accomplishments in philosophy, Richard was a talented musician in both classical and contemporary styles. In the last year of his life, he recorded a biographical rock album with his lifelong friend and musical partner, Kamal Badr (MD ’80), aptly entitled After A While.

Nabil Bukhalid (BEN ’81, EMBA ’05) passed away on January 3, 2023. News of his sudden and unexpected death at the age of 65 shocked his many friends and colleagues. Nabil was a kind and gentle man. He was also a visionary who made a pivotal contribution to the development of the internet in Lebanon by establishing the Lebanese Domain Registry (LBDR) and serving as administrator and registrar for the .lb ccTLD since its creation in 1993. Nabil was also the founder of the Lebanese Academic and Research Network (1994) and BeirutIX, the first Internet Exchange Point in Lebanon; cofounder of the Lebanese Internet Exchange Point (2007) and the Lebanese Broadband Manifesto Support Group (2008); cofounder and former president of the Internet Society Lebanon Chapter; cofounder and CEO of the Lebanese Internet Center; advisory board member of the Lebanese Canadian Tech Hub (2016); and mentor at Confideo Venture Mentoring (2017). He was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2017. Nabil made an invaluable contribution to his alma mater, where he worked for more than 40 years serving as director of Computing and Networking Services from 2000 until 2011. His loss is mourned by his wife, Joumana Salibi; his children, Layla, Zeina, and Sami; his sister, Raghida, and his brother, Nadim; and family and friends at AUB, in Lebanon, and around the world.

James Karam Mish`alani (BA ’56) died in Bellingham, Washington on March 29, 2023. He was born on March 23, 1934, to Alice and Karam in Beirut, Lebanon. Appreciated for his reflectiveness, humility, and sense of humor, Jim was a broad thinker who explored spiritual traditions, art, theater, and advanced human and animal rights. Following his studies in philosophy at AUB, he received his MA (’56) and PhD (’61) degrees in philosophy from Brown University. After teaching at Brown and AUB, he joined University of Washington (Seattle) in 1963 where he stimulated the growth of philosophy students until retirement in 1999. Jim was predeceased by his brothers Richard (BSCE ’52) and Gilbert (BME ’55). He is survived by his wife of over 50 years Susan, their son Hisham and his wife Lindsey, his former wife Samiha (BA ’56), their son Karam and his wife Krys, and his grandchildren Jackson and Rosie.

Amal Sadaka Fekrat (BBA ’60) passed away on July 1, 2022, after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s. Amal was born in El- Monsif, Lebanon, and immigrated to the United States in 1962 with her husband, Michael Fekrat (BBA ’61, MBA ’62). She had a thriving 20-year career in real estate in Washington, DC, raised a loving, successful family, and traveled the world. She was known by her nickname, Miss Smile, for her contagious, loving smile.

Ziad Salaheddin Yamout (BE Civil Engineering ’62) passed away on February 6, 2023. A respected and muchloved member of the AUB family, Ziad is especially well remembered at his alma mater as the director of Physical Plant, a position he held from 1991 until he retired in 2003. He was very active in the University for Seniors (UfS), AUB’s adult education program; as a member of its inaugural curriculum committee; as a student; and as a teacher. He taught popular UfS classes in a variety of subjects, including bridge, personal budgeting, and AUB history. His passing is mourned by his wife, Bushra Bdeir (BA Psychology ’64, MA Psychology ’66), and his children, Sani (BS Biology ’94, MD ’98), Sawsan (BS Biology ’97), Karim (BA Psychology ’00), and Salah (MBA ’97).

Usama Abdul Wadoud Mugharbil (BS Pharmacy ’63, MS Biochemistry ’65), PhD, passed away on December 4, 2022, from aspiration pneumonia, a complication of Alzheimer’s, which he suffered from since 2013. A professor of biochemistry at the Lebanese University and the Beirut Arab University and head of the Berbir Medical Center and Dar al Ajaza al Islamia laboratories, Usama was also a WHO expert in Aleppo, Syria; director of clinical laboratories at Lebanese government hospitals; and secretary general of the Lebanese Association for the Advancement of Science. He led the 1995 and 1997 LAAS International Conferences on Computer Simulation at AUB. Usama was the beloved husband of Elizabeth Mugharbil; the loving father of Raghda Al Zein (Ahmad Al Zein) and Martin Mugharbil (Celia Faiad); the fond grandfather of Leila Al Zein, Yasmine Olivia Al Zein, Ryan Mugharbil, Leonard Mugharbil, and Zakaria Al Zein; and the loving brother of Isdihar Nsouli, Zouheir Mougharbel, Samira Mougharbel, Samia Mansour, Siham Berjawi (predeceased), and Nahida Mougharbel. You may contact Elizabeth at emugharbil@gmail.com to send messages to the family.

Habib Debs (BE Civil Engineering ’81) passed away on February 10, 2023. He was born in Beirut on December 19, 1958. After graduating from AUB, he earned a degree in architecture (ALBA ’84) and a master’s in urban planning at l’Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris (in 1986). He founded Habib Debs Architectes Urbanistes (URBI) in 1991, which developed architectural, planning, and design projects. An architect, teacher, and activist, Habib fought tirelessly—and inspired many others to do the same—to preserve and reimagine public spaces throughout Lebanon. His name will forever be associated with transformative initiatives in Lebanon and the region including Plan Vert, Liaison Duce, and Fouad Boutros Park. Colleagues at AUB remember him as a fierce fighter for heritage buildings, Beirut’s best citizen and chief designer, one of Lebanon’s most genuine and visionary urbanists, and a brilliant, brilliant human being. He will also be remembered fondly by students at AUB, ALBA, and Lebanese University, where he taught for many years. Habib loved the mountains of Lebanon, was passionate about classical music and the arts, and adored his family, including his wife, Isabelle, and his children, Maya and Sari. There is a wonderful remembrance and photos of Habib Debs on the website of the Beirut Urban Lab.

Andreas Alexandrou (BS Mechanical Engineering ’82) passed away on May 31, 2018. He was born in Episkopi, Cyprus, on June 21, 1957. Andreas attended AUB, where he met his future wife, Lisa Majaj, on a USAID/Fulbright scholarship. After graduating from AUB, Andreas and Lisa traveled to the US, where he earned MS degrees in mechanical engineering (1983) and civil engineering (1985) and a PhD in mechanical engineering (in 1986) at the University of Michigan. The first professor of engineering hired at the University of Cyprus, Andreas was chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and dean of the School of Engineering until he was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Despite his diagnosis, he continued to work until six weeks before his death. He authored many publications, including Principles of Fluid Mechanics, an undergraduate textbook in fluid mechanics. He is deeply missed by his wife, Lisa, and his children, Nadia and Nicolas.

Our Legacy

Innovation and hard work are behind the success of the Maki Restaurant Group which opened its first restaurant in Kuwait in 2002 Brothers Oliver BA Economics 87 and Amer BS Agricultural Engineering 91 Zeitoun have since opened awardwinning restaurants in Doha Bahrain and London Oliver Maki London was listed in The Michelin Guide Great Britain Ireland in both 2017 and 2018 I followed my passion explains Oliver and want to help others do the same I also want our name to be associated with a university that helps young people realize their dreams That is why I established the Oliver Maki Scholarships at AUB a university I know well as so many members of my family including my daughter Yara BBA 11 are AUB alumni