Celebrating HRH Prince Raad Bin Zeid

HRH Princess Majda Raad and HRH Prince Raad Bin Zeid enter ACOR. All photos by Steve Meyer unless otherwise noted.

On January 10, 2018 a celebration was held at ACOR to honor HRH Prince Raad Bin Zeid and to inaugurate a year of events to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of ACOR.  We share below some of our favorite photos from that evening.

HRH Prince Raad has been First Vice President of the ACOR Board of Trustees since 1988. Under his patronage ACOR has grown from modest beginnings to an established American research center located in a six-story purpose-built building near the University of Jordan.  Prince Raad has played an important role in supporting the development of ACOR in Jordan.

ACOR Director Barbara A. Porter and Chef Jacques Rossel of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts reviewing the room before the event
Setting up the tables for the Gala dinner with decor by Shams Design Team. Photo by B. A. Porter
Raouf Abujaber, Fuad Abujaber and Abla Kawar
Fuad Abujaber, Lina Annab, Hazem Malhas, Mona Naffa, Muna Haddad, Reem Habayeb, and Maha Dahmash

At a meeting of the Jordanian members of the ACOR Board of Trustees on January 9, 2018, HRH Prince Raad formally announced that he would step down from active leadership of ACOR and retire. He remarked “I am taking this step after spending well over 40 years of my life in the most exhilarating, thrilling, and unforgettable archaeological involvement with ACOR.”

The American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) recognized his long service to ACOR and awarded the W.F. Albright Service Award to HRH Prince Raad Bin Zeid in November 2017 during the ASOR Annual Meetings in Boston, Massachusetts.

ACOR Associate Director Jack Green, SCHEP Projects Lead Jehad Haron, ACOR Trustee Abdelelah Al Khatib, and SCHEP COP Nizar Al Adarbeh. Abdelelah Al Khatib is now the First Vice President of the ACOR Board of Trustees.
Dinner guests enjoyed a short documentary film that ACOR prepared for that evening. On screen is former ACOR Associate Director Glenn Corbett, speaking about the Temple of the Winged Lions project in Petra. Photo by B.A. Porter
Barbara Porter, Nisreen Abu Al Shaikh, Joan Porter MacIver, and Ellen Porter Honnet. Photo by Miriam Saleh
Zaki Ayoubi, Nancy Eslick, and David Nickols. Photo by Humi Ayoubi
Sharifa Nofa Nasser and Fatma Marii. Photo by B.A. Porter
Sam McNeil and Miriam Saleh. Photo by Joan Porter MacIver
Ambassador Edward Gnehm, Sirene Abughazaleh, Sam McNeil and Ahmad Abughazaleh. In the background on the left is Director General of the Department of Antiquities, Monther Jamhawi. Photo by B.A. Porter
Widad Kawar and Mamdouh Bisharat. Photo by Joan Porter MacIver

First HRH Prince Raad and then ACOR Board President Randolph B. Old spoke at the dinner. They reminisced about the years that they have been affiliated with ACOR and remembered many of the influential people from ACOR’s history who were not there than evening and were much missed.

HRH Prince Raad speaking about his time on ACOR's Board
ACOR Board President Randy Old
ACOR Board President Randy Old

The ACOR Library was transformed for the evening into a venue for a seated dinner for 65 guests.  The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts catered the dinner for ACOR and their students did a wonderful job serving the guests. Omar Zumot was a generous sponsor of the event. Staff from Shams Design decorated the ACOR lobby and library using seasonal foliage, locally sourced flowers, and heritage items.

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