Arabic-L:GEN:Waheed Samy Condolences

[Dilworth Parkinson]

Arabic-L: Mon 28 Feb 2011
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1) Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences
2) Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences
3) Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences
4) Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences
5) Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences
6) Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences
7) Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

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1)
Date: 28 Feb 2011
From: Zeinab Taha <zeintaha at aucegypt.edu>
Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

It is with a heavy heart that the Arabic Language Institute of the American University in Cairo writes to inform the academic community at large, of the untimely death of Waheed Samy, our colleague of many years, on February 20, after a sudden illness.
            True to his name, Waheed was a singular colleague: gifted and hard-working, ambitious and supportive, rigorous and full of humor. A model of integrity, cosmopolitan to the core, his departure in 1999 for Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he, his wife, and their daughter each pursued a different degree, was a keen blow to the institute as a whole. During these intervening years, while we chafed at his absence, we nevertheless followed his accomplishments with admiration and pride.
          Waheed took his B.A. from AUC in English in 1974, going on to obtain a Masters degree in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language in 1980.  He was a superior linguist, a serious stylist, and an outstanding teacher. During his tenure at AUC, he taught a wide variety of subjects at all levels in the ALI intensive programs, the ALU and CASA. Among these, one might especially note his courses in composition and translation. In 1999, AUC Press published his Arabic Writing for Style, a manual for intermediate students that offers a glimpse into his pedagogic insight and finesse. Teaching and writing were not Waheed’s only talents. He was also a capable and innovative administrator, serving for several years as director of the ALU intensive summer program.
In the mid1980s, he became increasingly interested in the possibilities that the marriage of technology and teaching offered the field, and, having worked assiduously to become fluent in the medium, it was at his hands that technology became an integral part of teaching in the ALI. By the time he left, Waheed had established the institute’s first Computer Assisted Language Learning lab. Fascinated by the hands-on aspect of technology design, he authored a host of interactive materials, but he was also an educator par excellence. One of his priorities was thus to initiate a number of us into the basics of material design, and he also closely mentored a core group of colleagues to ensure a smooth transition in the running of that lab.
            Once settled in Ann Arbor, Waheed began work on a second MA in Near Eastern Studies, with a focus on Arabic literature and linguistics. In 2004, he received his PhD. During this time, of course, he continued to teach Arabic, and when he completed his doctorate, the University of Michigan’s Department of Near Eastern Studies lost no time in adding him to their full-time faculty. In addition to teaching, Waheed remained extremely active in a variety of professional projects related to Arabic pedagogy. He continued to design multimedia instructional software of the highest caliber, and he was a member, then chair, of the ACTFL writing standards committee. In fact, during a whirlwind visit to Cairo during the winter term break this year, he even managed to convene a New Year’s Day work session at his home with former AUC colleagues to work on finalizing the most recent set of ACTFL guidelines. Precisely one month later, at the height of his powers, Waheed was felled by a devastating heart attack.
            Despite this cruel stroke of fate, Waheed’s memory lives on amongst us all, his students, colleagues, teachers, and friends. We had the serious good fortune to study and work with him, to enjoy, for a while, this singularly principled, vibrant and irrepressible individual. If devastated by his loss, we are nevertheless inspired by his legacy, and inestimably richer for having known him.
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2)
Date: 28 Feb 2011
From: Liz England <liztesol at yahoo.com>
Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

I am writing in memory of Waheed Samy.  Waheed's teaching excellence and commitment to Arabic language learners will live forever.  He was an exceptional teacher and a good friend and colleague.  I was fortunate to work with him on a chapter he wrote in a book I co-edited (with Drs. Kassem Wahba and Zeinab Taha).  Waheed will be missed, but his extraordinary gifts live on in his students and for all of us.  My condolences to Mary and their family and to his colleagues at the University of Michigan.  

Liz England
Winchester, Virginia, USA


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3)
Date: 28 Feb 2011
From: Sahar Abdel Gawwad <saharmhy at aucegypt.edu>
Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

البقاء للـــــه

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4)
Date: 28 Feb 2011
From: Magda <msiekert5 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

We were old friends and are shocked what happened?

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5)
Date: 28 Feb 2011
From: Mohammed Sawaie <ms at virginia.edu>
Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

Dear Raji,

May all of our colleagues and Waheed's family accept my condolences.

Mohammed

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6)
Date: 28 Feb 2011
From: GSalib at AOL.COM
Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

I am so sorry!
Galila Salib

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7)
Date: 28 Feb 2011
From: <salema52 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Waheed Samy Condolences

Allah yrhamou. his death sadens me and all those who knew him and worked with him

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End of Arabic-L: 28 Feb 2011
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