On April 27, as the late evening sunshine streamed through the window of the AUB Archaeological Museum, a remarkable nonagenarian took his seat among friends and relatives gathered in his honor. They were there to celebrate the life of Professor Samir Tabet, AUB Vice-President Emeritus and longstanding President Emeritus of The Society of the Friends of the AUB Museum.
The event, organized by the Society of Friends of the AUB Museum, included a captivating operatic concert as homage to the man who had given so much to AUB. In the presence of President Khuri and Provost Dawy. Dr. Panayot, Curator of the AUB Museum delivered a speech tracing Professor Tabet's inspiring career as an accomplished academic and artist, including his four-year period as AUB Acting President, when amid raging war, he held the fort at AUB, sleeping in College Hall, maintaining a defiant stance in a hostile environment.
In her speech Dr. Panayot quoted the story of when Aristotle was asked: where dwell the Muses and he answered: 'In the souls of those who love work.' She added, “Throughout his life, Samir was such a soul, precise, rigorous, hardworking and perseverant, and at the same time, refined, sophisticated, and elegant, with a dash of panache".
Later, against an iconic backdrop of Museum statues, Mezzo-Soprano Eliane Saadeh accompanied by string quartet Camil Mucca, Rita Asdikian, Joe Daou, Viola, and Nayiry Ghazarian, with Armen Kechek, on piano, delighted the audience with their accomplished musical performance.
Please check the article and watch the video below:
Tabet's honoring article
Snippets from Dr. Samir Tabet's speech.