Fundraising activities
Major Donation: Jafet Family
In 1946, the widow and sons of Nami Jafet, BA1882, a distinguished industrialist in São Paulo, Brazil—donated $200,000 to establish the Nami Jafet Memorial Library at the American University of Beirut in honor of their husband and father. The gift was formally presented during a luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on November 11, where two of his sons, Ricardo and Carlos, conveyed the donation to Dr. Philip K. Hitti, representing the University’s Board of Trustee in the presence of Dr. Charles Malik and Camille Chamoun.
The Nami Jafet Memorial Library was officially dedicated on May 5, 1952, in a ceremony attended by distinguished Lebanese officials, members of the University’s Board of Trustees, representatives of the Alumni Association, and delegates from the Jafet family. The event marked a significant landmark for the University, as the library stood as both a tribute to Nami Jafet’s legacy and a lasting symbol of the strong ties between AUB and its global alumni community.
Other Donations
The Alumni Association in Brazil supported for many years the education of students, including ones at AUB. Graduates of the American University of Beirut in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro showed remarkable generosity in creating scholarship funds. In the 1920s the members of the branch and their friends contributed approximately more than $9,000 to support this cause.
In the 1930s, AUB alumni in São Paulo and other South American cities, though few in number, demonstrated remarkable generosity by contributing over $20,000. Their efforts, supported by alumni and friends, yielded impressive results, and even inspired giving beyond the AUB community. Later on, the same branch stood out in the Alumni Fund Campaign, contributing generously, managing part of its quota locally, and supporting students, the University Library, and the Chair of Archaeology. Its efforts highlighted remarkable initiative and sustained the alumni movement despite the global economic depression.
In 1948, the Brazil Branch of the Alumni Association actively joined the campaign launched by the Board of Trustees to raise funds for the Near East Colleges. The alumni in Brazil focused their efforts on one of the University’s proposed projects: the construction of a large hospital with a capacity of 400 beds, equipped with modern laboratories, a state-of-the-art X-ray unit, and other advanced medical facilities.
In 1957, H.E. Rodolfo Usigli, the Minister of Mexico to Lebanon, donated Spanish-language books to the Jafet Memorial Library, strengthening cultural and academic ties between AUB and Mexico.