Subject: Article on King Tut
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 21:55:48 EST
From: Moreen Le Fleming Ehly

Enjoyed your article very much. Interesting to note that you state Amenhotep III is boy king's father. I would like to point out that none other than John Romer mentions Princess Sitamoun as being King Tutankhamoun's sister. I don't think he realised that this would make the boy king the son of Amenhotep III, as well as his chief consort,Queen Tey, and, of course, the brother of Akhnaton, the so-called heretic Pharoah, which I believe to be the case. I am writing a book (semi-fictional), about the murder of Nebkheprure Tutankhamoun, and the Theban chief of police whose life is destroyed by his subsequent investigation.
I also enjoy your Victoria College section. I used to teach there fifty four years ago.

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Subject: R.R. Parkhouse
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 11:11:23 -0800
From: Max Tchiprout

I am an Old Victorian i attended from 1947 to 1952. If my memory serves me right my last year was in upper V-1. Some of my classmates were Toussoun, Arditi, M. Gabbay. Simeon Rilsky(ex king of Bulgaria) Damirji and of course King Husein of Jordan. There were of course a lot more, but these are the only names that come to my mind. I would appreciate whatever information you may have to refresh my memory.

Parkhouse was quite the character from being a soccer coach to susbstitute math teacher (my knowledge) to--from your article--head of a house. We used to call him RIP (rest in peace) Parkhouse. Why, I dont remember! Reading all of this brought long forgotten memories. I used to live At Campo Cesare and remember that at lucnh time some of my friends would make a race, get off the tram run home eat lunch run back to the station and catch the same tram on its way back to school.
Max Tchiprout 1947-1951 lower IV 2 - Lower V1

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Subject: A history of Victoria College
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 20:54:09 EST
From: Alain A. Silvera

I'm writing a history of our alma mater and would welcome any historical information on this major subject. I am a graduate of VC, Alex, 1937- 49, then a Harvard PhD and now History professor emeritus, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

Samir Raafat, I've followed your miscallaneous writings on Egypt with the greatest pleasure. i am myself a former alexandrian who graduated from Victoria College in Alex in 1947. Now a professor emeritus of history at bryn mawr college in Pennsylvania i am researching a history of our alma mater.

I gather that Awad, also an Old Victorian, is also embarked on the same endeavour. I would be grateful if you could tell me how to get in touch.

Sincerely
Alain Silvera

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Subject: old pictures
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 23:51:21 +0200
From: Samir Kassem

Hi I am samir kassem an old victorian from 1963-1976 I have a lot of class pictures if u r interested I can send them to put in victoria’s page

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Subject: Copy of Victoria College School Certificate 1943
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 18:18:54 +0300
From: Youssef Zaidan

I received a copy of your article on Victoria College from Henry Zaidan. This was fascinating reading. A piece of history that means so much to us, and that we knew so little about. I graduated from VC Shubra in 1943 or 1944. My School Certificate ( including 8 credits) remained with my papers in Maadi after we were sequestrated. I now have no document showing that I got this certificate. Is there any way you know off that I can get a copy of this? This is important as it is a requisite for my application to obtain an Egyptian Import registration. Any information or help you can give me will be very appreciated

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Suject: Old Victorian
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 20:51:35 EDT
From: Stamboulieh

I was just browsing through the net and stumbled across this site. I am the son of Mr Nicholas Stamboulieh who was at Victoria College Alexandria. We are now living in the USA. I will be visiting my father in Houston TX tomorrow. I was just very excited to see some of the old pictures of the VC. I would be very interested to know if you know my father

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Subject: Egyptian Society of Chest Diseases Annual Conference in Alexandria 30th of June thru 2nd of July 1999
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 15:44:41 -0700
From: chestalx@inetalex.ie-eg.com

If you are a physician and interseted, contact Old Victorian Dr Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud, Lecturer of Chest Diseases, at mimahmoud@hotmail.com or at chestalx@inetalex.com. Invitations including registration and fuull board accomodations in Montazah Sheraton during the conference are available.

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Subject: Passed away
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 15:58:28 +1000
From: Bill Naim

Genny Abdel Sayed Housekeeper in charge of the Kitchen at Victoria College between 1950-1962 passed away in July 1988 in Melbourne Australia. I am sure that the numerous boarders during that period would be interested to know. This is written by her son who also worked at Victoria College between 1958-1962 in the Headmaster's office with Ms. Timmins and also looked after the School Cinema. (William (Naim) Abdel Sayed.

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Subject: San Stefano/Victoria College
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:29:57 -0600
From: LEVON K. TOPOUZIAN

I read with interest your article about San Stefano. Although you mentioned Victoria College, I think that it would have been of interest to elaborate the role of VC during the war and its becoming the 64th General Hospital and the transfer of students to San Stefano.
As an old Victorian I would have loved to see pictures of both school premises and I am sure that many Alexandrians in the Diaspora would be delighted.
Sincerely
Levon K. Topouzian M.D.
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Emeritus Assistant Professor
Northwestern University
Associate Professor
University of Illinois

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Subject: Vitoria College Article - Luigi Steinschneider
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 08:49:49 -0500
From: Philippe Steinschneider

Mr. Raafat, I read your March 30, 1996 article on Victoria College with great interest today. I am particularly fascinated by your reference to a Luigi Steinschneider, the "maverick hotelier". Do you have any additional information on Mr. Steinschneider as I am presently gathering as much data as possible on the Steinschneider families. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure if Luigi is a relative yet. However, most likely, he is. The article is the first time I heard mention of a Steinschneider with the name Luigi. At least now, when I eventually stumble on our relationship, I'll have some fascinating information on him.
Regards

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Subject: VC reunion 1983
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 00:25:08 -0500
From: peter lewin

Samir, You may be interested in a scanned copy of the letter I wrote to President Mubarak in 1982, which initiated the 1983 reunion Best regards Peter

From: THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN
555 UNlVERSITY AVENUE TORONTO,
ONTARIO
CANADA M5G 1X8
(416)597-1500
March 31, 1982

TO:
President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak,
Presidential Palace,
Cairo,
Egypt.

Dear President Mubarak:

I spent the happiest years of my life while a student at Victoria College in Alexandria from 1940 to 1953. This superb school which trained so many leaders of the Middle East, including some of your honoured colleagues, is happily still active as Victory College both in Alexandria and Cairo.
Last year we held one of the few reunions of our school in the Middle East, alas not in Egypt but in Amman as guests of His Highness King Hussein, one of our illustrious Victoria College school graduates. The reunion was a magnificent affair. However Jordan is not Egypt, and I am sure many missed the old familiar surroundings of our school in Alexandria.
In 1983 Victoria College will celebrate its 80th anniversary. I wonder whether that year could be a suitable occasion for your Excellency to initiate a program for Victoria College to organize a reunion of all its former pupils. This I feel would not only be a unique opportunity to many of the "Old Victorians" to revisit Egypt and their old school, but also an opportunity for renewing old ties and friendships, so important for the furtherance of co-operation and tolerance in the region. It may also be a suitable occasion to re-establish the school as Egypt1s unique international primary and secondary educational center.

With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
Peter K Lewin,
C.D.,M. D. , M.Sc., F.R.C.P.(C)

c.c. : H.E., The Egyptian Ambassador to Canada

Mounir Chalaby, President, Victoria College Association,London
Richard Safadi, Victoria College Co-ordinator, U.S.
Samir J. Zalzal, Victoria College Co-ordinator, Canada

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Subject: Italians in Egypt
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 19:42:48 -0700
From: Joseph Wahed

Samir, I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your articles. One of my dear neighbours in Heliopolis---Paul Sabbagh---had an Italian father and a Palestinian mother. One day, the authorities took his father away. We were very young, and therefore, never spoke about these things. For us, life went on as usual, so we thought. Paul now lives in Brazil, and doing quite well. He visited me some years ago, for old times sake, and only then did I realize how deeply he was affected by his father's internment. Its funny how life is. We talked about as adults, each having suffered at the hands of political forces more powerful than us. A graduate of EMC and VCC (1952), I now live in San Francisco, and have never forgotten the terrific time I spent in Egypt, terrific, until that fateful day when its foreign minorities began to be expelled, slowly at first, then more aggressively later on. In early 1994, however, I returned after an absence of over 40 years. I had an absolutely wonderful time. All the beautiful memories of my youth in Heliopolis came back to me: my friends, neighbours, the street sellers, grocers, Ras el Bar, and most of all, the hospitable and friendly people and the music. We plan to return to continue this unfinished saga. Keep writing your articles, and make us all happy.

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From: Raad bin Zeid
Subject: Aside from Hussein of Jordan and Omar Sharif there were other CELEBRITIES at VC. Meet Some of them:

Aged 9, King Simeon II of Bulgaria (of the House of Saxe-Cobourg) arrived at VC Alexandria where he spent the schoolyears 1946-51.

The Syrian Edward Atiyah ("An Arab Tells His Story: A Study in Loyalties"), and his sons Sir Michael, mathematician (the Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem) and Patrick. All three attended VC Alexandria, the father during WW-1 and the sons during and after WW-II.

The Jerusalem-born Edward Saiid of Columbia University N.Y. writes in 1998: "The moment one became a student at Victoria College one was given the school handbook, a series of regulations governing every aspect of school life - the kind of uniform we were to wear, what equipment was needed for sports, the dates of school holidays, bus schedules and so on. But the school's first rule, emblazoned on the opening page of the handbook, read: 'English is the language of the school; students caught speaking any other language will be punished.' Yet there were no native English-speakers among the students. Whereas the masters were all British, we were a motley crew of Arabs of various kinds, Arenians, Greeks, Italians, Jews and Turks, each of whom had a native language that the school had explicitly outlawed. Yet all, or nearly all, of us spoke Arabic - many spoke Arabic and French - and so we were able to take refuge in a common language in defiance of what we perceived as an unjust colonial stricture. British imperial power was nearing its end immediately after World War Two, and this fact was not lost on us, although I cannot recall any student of my generation who would have been able to put anything as definite as that into words.
In the spring of 1951 I was expelled from Victoria College, thrown out for being a troublemaker, which meant that I was more visible and more easily caught than the other boys in the daily skirmishes between Mr Griffith, Mr Hill, Mr Lowe, Mr Brown, Mr Maundrell, Mr Gatley and all the other British teachers, on the one hand, and us, the boys of the school, on the other. We were all subliminally aware, too, that the old Arab order was crumbling."

Professor Arat Wolde-Yes veteran surgeon, former dean of faculty of medicine at the Addis Ababa University (AAU), and president of AAPO. Upon completion of his secondary education, Professor Asrat was among the few Ethiopians who were chosen to go abroad for higher education. In mid 1940s he left Ethiopia for Alexandria, Egypt and enrolled at Victoria College where he stayed for five years. Upon graduation from Victoria College, Professor Asrat was awarded a scholarship to study medicine at the Prestigious Edinburgh University in Scotland.
Caught in the endless power struggle in Ethiopia, professor Asrat, aged almost 70 years old, was imprisoned in 1992 for five years on false and fabricated charges.

Abdulla F. Alnafisi of Kuwait (b. 1945). In 1961 received his G.C.E. from Victoria College in Cairo, Egypt and later, received his B.A. in Politics from the American University in Beirut in 1967. Dr. Alnafisi continued on in this field and received his Ph.D. in Politics in 1972 from Cambridge University, UK, Churchill College. At one point he served as a member of the Parliament of Kuwait, and from 1972-78 he acted as chairman of the Department of Politics at the University of Kuwait. Currently Dr. Alnafisi serves as a professor at the University of Kuwait.

Charles Issawi of Bayard Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Emeritus. Issawi was educated at Victoria College, Alexandria and Magdalen College, Oxford. For five years, served in the Ministry of Finance, Cairo, and at the National Bank of Egypt. Later, worked for seven years in the Department of Economic Affairs at the United Nations, in New York. Joined the Near Eastern Studies Department at Princeton in 1975 and retired in 1986, but uaas given freshman seminars since then. Before that taught at Columbia, the American University of Beirut, Harvard and the School for Advanced International Studies in Washington. Since retirement, has taught a graduate course on "The Economic Organization and Development of the Middle East" at New York University.

Judge Eugene Cotran is the first Arab High Court Judge in the UK. He attended Victoria College, Alexandria from 1948 to 1955 and then went on to Britain to study Law at Leeds, Cambridge and Lincoln’s Inn. By the time he qualified and became a Banister in 1960, his family had moved from Egypt to the Sudan where his father was a Judge. Cotran was stateless and traveled on an Egyptian Laissez Passe. Trained in the English common law system, he could not practice law in an Arab country. Although the Sudan with its common law system was a possibility, his father was leaving there about that time to become a Judge in Nigeria and later Chief Justice of West Cameroon. Eventually, Cotran was appointed as a Research Officer in African Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and later a Lecturer specializing in the laws of East Africa and Kenya where he spent some time as a Law Commissioner. He combined academic work at SOAS with practice as a Barrister at Dingle Foot’s Chambers (a great Palestinian Arab supporter) then became a High Court Judge in Kenya and since 1992 a Circuit Judge in England.

Egypt's leading contemporary painter Mahmoud Saiid (son of prime minister Mohammed Saiid Pasha) received his primary education in his family’s house at Anfoushi district in Alexandria, near Al-Moursi Aboul-Abbass Mosque. He joined Victoria College, then left it to pursue his primary education at home by Egyptian teachers including Sheik Muhammad Al-Kadari and Ahmad Amin. He spent a few months in Jesuit school, then he completed his study at home until he wrapped up his education in public schools (Al-Sayda, and Abasia in Cairo).

Raad bin Zeid, current head of the Royal family of Irak. Educated at Victoria College, Alexandria, BA Christ College Cambridge University 1960.

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