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In Memoriam : Leila Raja Iliya
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Leila Iliya, member of the AUBMC Women's Auxiliary, passed away on July
31, 2008, in Beirut after a prolonged and courageous battle with cancer.
Leila Wadih Nassar, who was born in Cairo in 1930, moved to Lebanon with
her brother Nabil Wadih Nassar (BEE '54) and her family in 1944. In 1951,
she married Raja Iliya, (BEE '47).
Fifty-eight years ago, a group of energetic women joined hands and formed
the Women's Auxiliary of the American University of Beirut Hospital to
provide better care and comfort to sick patients. They opened a Coffee
Shop, a Bargain Box, and established escort services for patients. People
with big hearts, like Leila, who joined the group in 1985, provided continued
and dedicated service for twenty-two years. She served as treasurer, vice
president, and president from 2003 until 2007.
Despite many difficulties, the group grew and supported the social services
at AUBMC with tens of thousands of dollars yearly and donated equipment
worth thousands of dollars in value. They established scholarships for
nursing students and rewarded excellence with prizes. The Coffee Shop
became the Mecca of the hospital, where visitors, physicians, and staff
spent many happy hours.
A contribution Leila was most proud of was providing a loan to a student
so that she could complete training as a nurse. One of the many who cared
for Leila during her long illness was one of those nurses.
Leila was also an active member in the Young Women's Christian Association
(YWCA) and served as its president. This philanthropic association provides
support by helping young women improve their skills, find jobs, and establish
careers.
Iliya is survived by her husband Raja, a member of the AUB engineering
faculty from 1953 until 1992, and two of her three children, Ramzi and
Neda, and seven grandchildren.
Raja and Leila made a generous donation in memory of their son Dr. Afif
Iliya, a neurosurgeon who passed away in 2001, and established the Afif
Iliya Neurosurgery Library, now part of the Abu Haidar Neuroscience Institute.
Leila will be missed by all, but her legacy of energy, philanthropy, generosity,
and community spirit lives on.