In a new page of the bright history pages pervaded with figures who led their lives being light to the world, transmitting whiffs of light and joy until their life became a radiance of hope that many follow. Today, I am talking about one of those figures who took the path of humanitarian services, on a journey of giving, built with toil, effort and diligent work, with scarcely repeated sincerity and dedication. An engineer graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the age of 21! An expert, in the prime of his youth, represented Egypt in Nigeria, where he was able to establish the metal furniture industry and train workers, presenting an honorable and luminous scene for his homeland! He has industrial achievements by founding a number of companies. He is the husband, father, grandfather, educator and senior: Engineer Sami FahimGebraeel.
Engineer Sami Fahim was born on August 24, 1942 in the city of Damanhour, Al-Beheira Governorate. He is the youngest member of his family consisted of his father, a teacher at the Secondary Copts School for girls, then its headmaster, his mother, his brother Nabil, and his sisterAmal. Sami Fahimfinished his primary, preparatory, and secondary studies in Damanhour, then joined the Faculty of Engineering at Alexandria University in 1957/1958, and obtain his bachelor’s degree in 1963. The Ministry of Industry assigned him to work in the Engineering Industries Corporation at “Al-Nasr Home Appliances Manufacturing Company.” During his life journey of hard work and diligence, he became the head of the company’s designs and graphics office.
In September 1969, Engineer Sami Fahim travelled to Nigeria,commissioned by the Presidency of the Republic as an expert in the manufacture of metal furniture, he returned to Egypt at the end of 1974, and started a new journey of giving, participating in the nation-building process. In the 1970, he married engineer Mary, and shared life together, then fathered two sons and a daughter: Eng. Amir, Eng. Rafik, and Eng. Ereny.Afterwards, he became a grandfather of many children; Anthony Amir and ChantelleAmir in Canada, Karen Rafik andSami Rafik, and FaridSamih and Wahid Samih in Egypt.
During the journey of life, Eng. Sami Fahim acquired several qualities, most notably: his superior ability to assume responsibility and to work diligently, his despair-freedetermination, his adherence to principles and good deeds. This is in addition to his ingenuity in management and his ability to make critical decisions at the right time. Eng. Sami Fahim is considered a symbol of love and national unity, as he partnered one of his fellow Muslim engineers in a 54-year business trip, in which they represented a model of national unity until they were called “The unrepeatable model of national unity.”
Despite Eng. Sami Fahim was promoted to high positions in the business sector, he left it and took care of his small project with a colleague who returned with him from Nigeria, as they rented a place in Al-Amiriyah, equipped it with the necessary equipment, and worked continuously until they succeeded in establishing a group of companies with thousands of employees; they also co-founded The Library of Alexandria, the Islamic Museum, the Public Library, the National Books and Documents House, the Public Library of St. Mark, and the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center. Afterwards, Eng. Sami Fahmi left the main companies for his partner, being satisfied with two factories and a trading company in the Tenth of Ramadan city.
On the social level, Eng.Sami Fahim served, through his work and activity in the Tenth of Ramadan Rotary, and the College of Girls, Ain Shams University, of which he was a member of its board of directors. He also established FaridHabib Hospital. Also, the outstanding achievements accomplished by Engineer Sami Fahim in the field of metal furniture and hospital equipment, and his participation in building Bank Misr industrially and economically. He was awarded the title of “The Ideal Engineer” for three consecutive years, and was honored on “Labour Day” for three consecutive years for his love for workers. He was also honored by the Engineers Syndicate as “the best engineer in Alexandria” (Lower Egypt) in 2007, and he obtained local and international certificates of appreciation from the University of Alexandria, and… stories about beautiful Egypt never end!
The General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
