Image Source:
Milad Arraj Library
Nami Jafet was born in
1860. He studied at the Syrian Protestant College and was among the first
generation of graduates, taught by Reverend Daniel Bliss. He taught briefly in
Lebanon and then moved to Brazil, where he established a successful weaving
factory in 1907. It continued to grow until becoming one of the largest in the
world. He returned to Lebanon in 1921 and became president of the AUB Alumni
Association. He went about promoting the cause of the
University and considered that any aid so extended to his Alma Mater would
serve as a token of gratitude for the great service the institution had
rendered to his native land and its people. He launched a campaign to raise a
special endowment for the education of promising Lebanese at the University, and
currently, AUB’s main library is named after him.