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Mr. Bessilios Bessos:
“The competitive and liberal atmosphere at IC made
teaching so pleasant that one year turned into 31
continuous years at the college.”
My association with IC goes back to 1958. I
had graduated from the School of Pharmacy,
and had some experience with teaching. It
was late in September and IC needed a
teacher of Biology; Dr. Stanley Kerr, of the
Biochemistry department, and the man for
whom I was working, suggested that I apply,
and for at least one year teach at IC... My
experience at IC was very positive, indeed
great, as teacher, counselor, college guid-
ance officer and Assistant to the Director,
and would have been longer were it not for
the unstable situation in the country at the
time.
Of course during this time I came to have
pleasant, not so pleasant and sometimes
embarrassing experiences. One thing that comes to my mind is
the following. My science students used to work on experiments
to compete in the National Science Fair. One experiment was on
mice—the effect of different chemicals on mice. We had a num-
ber of mice down in Room 5 at the basement of Rockefeller Hall
in a wooden cage. These mice were reproducing and with time
their number increased; they gnawed through the wood and dur-
ing Mr. Tabbal's class escaped into the room, running in all direc-
tions over students’ feet. You can imagine the disturbance in the
classroom, with Mr. Tabbal not knowing what to do. I was told
that the Director wanted to see me, and I did not know where to
hide.
In 1989 I immigrated to the United States (California) where I
taught for four years and felt how much I missed IC. For the past
11 years I have been working full time as a Pharmacist in
Glendale, a small city next to Los Angeles where I also live.
Fortunately, my children, two of whom (Alex and Kira) are IC
graduates, also live in Glendale with their families.
It would be my pleasure to welcome and meet any former and
present student, faculty member or administration officer passing
through the Los Angeles region. Just let me know by phoning me
at (818) 246-1739, or (818) 507-9589 or e-mailing me at
bessilios@yahoo.com
Samir Assaf:
36 Years at IC
I joined IC in 1968, and am a
part-time teacher of Middle
and Secondary School stu-
dents in physical education; I
also coach the IC Basketball team after school hours. As for my
educational background, I have a license in Fitness Education and
a Master’s Degree in History from the University of Saint Joseph
(USJ). I also instruct history in public schools in Lebanon, and in
1984 published two books in this field. In the sports domain my
interest is in volleyball, where I coach and officiate on an interna-
tional level.
Mr. Hamdi Houalla:
He May Have Taught Your Grandfather !
I have taught for 33 years at IC. I received
my Bachelor’s degree in Arabic from A.U.B.
after transferring from Alexandria University.
I started off at IC as an assistant instructor,
and am today the Head of the Arabic
Department.
Still teaching at the secondary school, where
I also am chairperson of Arabic, I recall an
alarming incident that occurred to me a few
years ago; one of my students came up to me and said: “You
taught my grandfather!”
Nowadays, besides teaching at the Secondary School, I am work-
ing hand in hand with the Educational Resource Center (ERC) at
IC, providing workshops and working on the curriculum. I recently
presented a paper at a conference held by the National Committee
of UNESCO, which described IC’s experience with the three levels
of IB (International Baccalaureate).
With the busy schedule that fills my life I still manage to find the
time to exercise. You can catch me from 5 till 6 in the morning
walking briskly from the A.U.B Sea Gate to Hard Rock Café, back
toward the Lamb house, forward to the Hard Rock Café again, and
then back to the A.U.B. Sea Gate. I am still happily married to my
lovely wife Huda, and we spend our holidays traveling around the
world.
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I remember an incident back in 1975, when one of my students in
the 6th grade challenged me for a Karate match. Joseph Francis,
the head of the P.E department back then, was assigned as a refer-
ee, and the match ended before it even started, with me emerging
victorious.
Today, I am a member of the writing team of the Baccalaureate
exams in History, and still tutor history in public and private
schools. At IC I coach the JJV Girls’ Basketball team, and still teach
physical education for Middle and Secondary School students.
My wife Mona and I are the proud parents of Manal, Reem and
Hassan. Mona is a P.E teacher in Fakhreddine School in Beirut,
Manal ’93 got married this year and resides with her husband in
the United States, Reem ’97 is following in the footsteps of her
Dad and is coaching Basketball to the JV girls at IC, while Hassan
’03 is studying economics at AUB.
Teachers’ Updates