Daniel Bliss II, who passed away recently in Maine, aged 103, was a scholar who amassed 80 years of experience and insight into the cultures of the Middle East, particularly Lebanon. Daniel Bliss II was born in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, on March 15 1898, and was named after his grandfather Daniel Bliss who founded the Syrian Protestant College in 1866 and was its president from 1866 to 1902. His father Howard S. Bliss served as President from 1902 to 1920, the year the College's name was changed to American University of Beirut. Young Daniel was enrolled in the American Community School in 1905 -- the year it was founded. He studied there from 1905 to 1914, and received his secondary education in the United States. He completed his education after World War I, and taught at AUB in 1920-1923 before returning to the US to pursue his theological studies. Ordained to ministry in 1926 in the Congregational Church, NYC, he married Winifred Rouse whom he met in Beirut. Daniel Bliss II held several religious and teaching positions in the inter-war years, including Instructor at Emerson College, Boston. He served in the Air Force in World War II as Chaplain, with the rank of Captain. After the war, he was active in efforts to educate the under-privileged and served as President of the Crispus Attucks Association, which undertook interracial support activities. In 1949-1960, Daniel Bliss II served on the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, eventually becoming chairman of its directing body, the Prudential Committee. It was under that same board that the first Daniel Bliss had come to the Middle East. In 1950, Amherst granted him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. Dr. Bliss served as President of the Board of Trustees of the International College, which was a part of AUB before becoming independent. He also served on AUB's Board of Trustees and was elected Trustee Emeritus in July 1969. His many awards include Lebanon's Gold Medal of Merit (1959). A believer that religion cannot be separate from science, Daniel Bliss II is the author of several books and articles. He is survived by two sons, a daughter, and grandchildren and great grandchildren. His wife Winfred passed away in 1986.

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