NNA - The American University of Beirut held a memorial ceremony to bestow the University Medal upon the late Trustee Emeritus Ali Ghandour. The ceremony celebrated the life and achievements of trustee Ghandour in the presence of the Ghandour family and the university administration and community.

A former student of the American University of Beirut, Ali Ghandour earned his BS in aeronautical engineering from New York University in 1954 before returning to Lebanon. He started his career in 1954 and became an entrepreneur and visionary businessman; cofounder, chairman, and president of the Royal Jordanian Airways; and started numerous other international airlines and organizations.

“With the university medal, the Board of Trustees and the university's entire community salute and recognize Ali Ghandour's distinguished and meritorious service to the American University of Beirut," said Dr. Fadlo Khuri, president of the university. “He worked in concert with lifelong friends and fellow trustees Dick Debs, Nicola Khuri, and Kamal Shair, to save the American University of Beirut when the university was in peril during the Lebanese Civil War, and then he worked tirelessly to restore—and grow it— after the war was over. His wise and candid counsel and expertise contributed greatly to the persistence and success of this institution, which he cherished so much."

Trustee Ali Ghandour was a philanthropic donor who supported educational, humanitarian, and cultural causes, he was one of the university's major supporters and established the Ali Ghandour Endowed Scholarship and the Ali Ghandour Reading Room --AUB

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