Welcome

My direct relationship with H.E. started on Saturday February 18, 1980. My father passed away early morning and everyone I know was coming to our house to express condolences and be with my mother, sister and I.

H.E. boards his plane from Athens to Lebanon just for this reason. I remember him getting to our house in Ras Beirut from Athens before a lot of others could make it from inside the Beirut area and suburbs that day. He entered our house in Ras Beirut and looked at me and said: “Don’t worry habibi. All will be fine. GOD rest your father’s soul. Be strong.” He stayed in Beirut until after the burial and left town. He was with us in every step of the way.

One Sunday afternoon in June of 1980 - after I had graduated from International College (IC) with the Lebanese Baccalaureate II High School Diploma - the telephone rings at our house. I was the only one there (my mother and sister went to my aunt’s house). I answered the phone and H.E. was on the other end. He said: “Mabrouk habibi I heard you graduated from IC, congratulations, I am proud of you. Keep it up”. Last but never least as it always happens when he talks to me or sees me, he would ask me the question “:Do you need anything?” “Are you doing ok?” My answer would be : “Thank You Uncle Issam, I am fine thank you so much.”

I remember that every time H.E. would visit Lebanon, I would call to try to see him and say hello - he who knows H.E.’s schedule would know how difficult it is to have some face time with him due to his busy and very hectic schedule - and every time I call I would get the same answer from his people, “He wants us to tell you that you’re welcome anytime, do you need us to send you a car to pick you up? Just let us know when you’re arriving so we tell him. He wants to see you too.” Some other times, I was not lucky enough to get an answer, so I would leave a message for him; and every time, he would personally call me back and invite me to his house for lunch or dinner. It never fails.

I would arrive to H.E.’s house in Mar Shaaya and would get confused as to what to do with so many people outside and in waiting to see him and talk to him. As always, someone would approach me and lead me inside directly to him.

He would stand up, smile at me, kiss me and say: “how are you habibi, good to see you, come in”. He would then seat me right next to him and in front of all that were there, regardless of who they were, he would always say to everyone present: “Do you know Oussama Barbar? He is the son of Halim Barbar, His father was one of my best friends. He is like a son to me.” And he would smile again at me.

No matter where and when I ran into him, he would always promote me and remind me of his friendship with my father as if to tell me not to worry and that he is always behind me.

In late 1982, I received a telephone call. It was his son Mr. Nijad I. Fares. He said: ”are you going to be home? I am in Lebanon and I want to come and see you: I said yes and was very excited.

Nijad comes over to our house in Ras Beirut, sits with me in the living room and starts making sure that all is well with me by asking me all kinds of questions. He tells me not to worry about anything and that if things do not work out for me in Lebanon, I can always call him directly and he will make sure that I can travel to the US and pursue my education and everything will be taken care of by H.E. and he left me with all his direct contact information. I thanked him for that and I remember that I was so moved that I could not fall asleep that night.

Early in 1983, after spending two years at AUB studying pre-medicine, Lebanon’s war situation was getting real bad to where I would go one day to school and skip ten days. So I decided to take Mr. Nijad Fares up on his offer. I remember calling him at his house in Denver, Colorado. It was three in the morning their time. A person I do not know answered the phone. I asked him for Mr. Nijad Fares; he told me that he is not available; however, Mr. Michael Fares his elder brother is home but sleeping. I asked the man to wake him up and he said that he could not do that.

I persisted saying that I am calling from Lebanon and I was given their number to call in case I needed anything. So the man hesitantly agreed and woke up Mr. Michael Fares. Michael picks up the phone with a worried tone and says:” Oussama are you ok?” I said: “yes I am” and briefly told him the story of what Nijad offered me back when he was in Lebanon. Automatically, Michael says: “No problem, let me see what I can do. I will let you know.”

I remember that one week later, someone calls me from H.E.’s office in Beirut and tells me that he will be helping me in getting all the paperwork needed to be able to get me a visa to the US. All I need to do is let him know what I needed.

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After checking with the US embassy in Beirut; I realized that I needed to have a the following:

1. A guarantor in the US.
2. An amount of money equal to two semesters’ tuition in a US bank.
3. An I-20 which is an acceptance letter from a university in the US.

To make a long story short, H.E.’s office took care of everything in no time. I got a letter of guarantee from Mr. Jack Brown (Wedge), Mr. Nijad Fares sent me an acceptance letter (I-20) from Rockmount College in Denver and I went to the US embassy in Beirut and got a visa to the US. I remember I was one out of four-hundred people to get a visa that day.

I arrived in Denver august 1983. Michael & Nijad Fares were still out of town, so they arranged for someone to pick me up at the airport, help me get an apartment, get some furniture, get me a driver’s license and register me in school, and be available for me if I needed anything.

When Nijad arrives in Denver, the first thing he tells me that he is happy to see me and that I am his brother. And that he is there for me in anything I needed, no questions asked. Not only he said that but he more than lived up to it as well at all times and he still does. I also remember that Michael and Nijad were always by my side and in support of me at all times in everything I wanted to achieve.

I ended up spending one year in Denver and then I had to move to Boston to pursue my engineering degree. I requested more money from the Wedge office for school expenses since it was more expensive in Boston than what H.E. was paying for me in Denver. As always, there was no problem with my request.

I arrive in Boston and H.E. covered me for all my school expenses and an additional monthly allowance to cover my personal expenses until I graduated in 1987 with a Bachelors in Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Meanwhile, my sister and mother were still in Lebanon and at one point in 1986 my sister was kidnaped by a local militia so my mother would be forced to leave the house in west Beirut. My mother immediately contacted H.E.’s office in Beirut and immediately my sister was released through his efforts.

Shortly after this incident (within a month), the door bell rang at our house in Ras Beirut. The war situation was at its worst. No power, no running water, no amenities...nothing. My mother and sister would not dare open the door but the man kept on ringing the door bell until they opened. The man says: “Are you Mrs. Barbar?” my mother, very scared, said; “Yes.” The Man Said: “My name is Samir Shihwan. I am from the office of Mr. Issam Fares. Mr. Fares was under the impression that you were in Cyprus but he found out that you are still in Beirut and is now worried sick about you and your safety. I am here to insure that you are safe and that I take you to the other side of Beirut and buy you a house over there and get you situated. I can not leave you until this is done. These are my orders.” these were the exact words that this gentleman told my mother. In a couple of weeks, my mother and sister owned a brand new house in Dbaye thanks to H.E.. Also, H.E.’s office in Beirut hired a moving company to take care of all the furniture.

In 1989, I had to leave Boston to go to Lebanon because my mother was really ill. After I arrived to Lebanon, Mr. Nijad Fares calls me and asks me if I needed anything and for me to call him when I am back in the US.

My mother passed away in December 1989. I called Nijad and he told me that he is now in living in Houston and he wants me to come live there with him. His words were: “What’s in Boston? Come to Houston and lets live like family.” I move to Houston the beginning of 1990 and I stay at his house. I tried to find a job for a long time but to no avail. The economy was bad and the job market was very slow. Until finally one day, I landed a job offer with an engineering firm through a broker requesting a fee for his efforts. Not having what the broker was asking for, Nijad jumped to my rescue and offered to cover the broker’s expenses. He was in full support of me and my plans to succeed. I remember that with the first check I received, I bought a watermelon for the house (that is all I could afford back then and I knew that he likes watermelon); and Nijad was proudly bragging in front of everyone one and saying: “Look everyone, this is the best watermelon I have ever tasted; this is from Oussama’s first paycheck. Come and try it out.” and he meant every word he said. This by itself gave the biggest boost and determination of my life towards being successful.

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When I started my engineering company in 1995. My biggest supporters were Mr. Nijad and Mr. Fares Fares. They would ask me everyday as to how things were going, did I need any help. Could they do anything to help me out. They took a chance on me and my company when no one else dared to do so. They believed in me when no one did. One of the first jobs I bid on was a project for the newly bought Wedge building in downtown Houston. When Mr. Fares Fares bought his house in Houston he wanted me specifically to do the environmental testing for him. This meant so much for me. Mr. Michael Fares would call me from London and check on me periodically to make sure all is well. All these things meant the world to me. They are priceless. After that, I completed several jobs for Wedge and the rest is history.

Every time H.E. would visit Houston, Nijad would make sure I get the chance to see his father and as always, he unconditionally cared for me and my well being.

Nijad would always tell H.E. of how well I am doing and how much I am trying to succeed. I remember one time we were driving to the airport and H.E. told me - and I can not forget it - a man can achieve anything he wants if he puts his mind to it and plays by the rules. That alone gave me one of the biggest boosts in my life.

Now I understand what it really meant when my father used to tell me: “Son, your uncle Issam and his family are the only ones you can blindly trust. They are the only ones that would befriend you because of who you are and because they love you and nothing else. Son, you can forget your name, but you can not forget your uncle Issam and his family. What they give you, no one can take away from you: honesty, loyalty, unconditional love, caring, friendship and more.” “Ya Bayye’:

Issam Fares invented loyalty and for that alone and many others we are indebted to him and his family for ever. The least we can do in return is to be one-million percent loyal to them always.”

These were the last words I remember my father telling me and I will never forget them. Every time I see or remember H.E., I see and remember love, loyalty, caring, honesty.... I basically see all my family in front of me when I see him.

Happy Birthday Uncle Issam

Oussama H. Barbar

Houston - May 2006