Remembering Mahmoud El Lozy

The loss of Professor Emeritus Mahmoud El Lozy has left AUC community members overcome by grief. Though the collective wound El Lozy's departure left is still raw for many, AUC has also been blessed with an outpour of special memories of the cherished professor.

"I had the pleasure to work with Dr. El Lozy for three years when I was an administrative assistant in the Department of the Arts and he was professor of theatre in the theatre program. He was such a professional, supportive, humorous, kind-hearted human who was crazy about art and theatre and his dog and granddaughters :) May his soul rest in peace, and may God grant his family and loved ones the patience to accept such a tragic loss."

- Maha Mostafa

"Dr Mahmoud El Lozy was an inspiring, charismatic professor in the Acting and Stage Movement course. He taught us how to portray the character while still being yourself. He listened to every one of us. A true mentor indeed."
 

- Gihan Gamgpum 

 

 

 

A tribute to El Lozy in The Caravan.

 

 

 

A eulogy written for El Lozy by a former student, Nermine Said:

 

استاذي العزيز..شكرا

شكرا لانك كنت نعم المُعلم

شكرا لانك كنت نعم الاستاذ

شكرا لانك فهمتني يعني ايه التزام

شكرا لانك فهمتني يعني ايه مسرح 

شكرا لانك علمتني يعني ايه عمل جماعي

شكرا لانك وثقت فيا

شكرا لانك اعتمدت عليا

شكرا لانك اديتني فرص كتير في مسرحياتك في الجامعة وبعدها علشان اتعلم واثبت نفسي

شكرا لانك سمحتلي انى اكون  شركتك في العمل

شكرا لكل مرة احتجت لنصيحة منك مابخلتش عليا بيها

شكرا لما كل مرة اكلمك فيها اطلب رايك   وتفتحلي بيتك  وتسمعني وتحسسني اني وسط أصدقائي وفي مساحة امنة وسط اهلي

شكرا ليك ولعلتك علي الكرم والاحترام والتشجيع والحب

شكرا محمود ..شكرا استاذي العزيز

Mahmoud El Lozy  بحبك

 

Messages to Sawsan Mardini, Mahmoud El Lozy's wife:  

I just heard the tremendously sad news of Mahmoud’s passing. I am terribly sorry, and you have my deepest sympathy. I will miss his irrepressible candor and his infectious sense of humor. May God be with him and with you and your family. I look forward to sharing memories of Mahmoud with my parents and brothers [during Thanksgiving] and give thanks for our friendship with him.... My thoughts are very much with you. I share in your sorrow."

Richard Bartlett, Chair Emeritus

"There are no words left to express my shock and sadness when I learned of the passing of Mahmoud. He was a colleague when we were undergraduate students at AUC ages ago, and I still remember the two of you sitting in the Fountain Area as we used to call it. I remember attending all the plays he directed, and I recall his passion and love for his work. Mahmoud was definitely a very talented and exceptional person, and he will be greatly missed but never forgotten.

Sanaa A.H. Makhlouf
Senior II English Language Instructor
Academy of Liberal Arts

"Mahmoud was such a bright star in AUC's firmament. This is true for all who knew him - not just for his huge talent, but for his ability to brighten the day. The world will be a duller place without him."

Jill Edwards

"We all loved him; he was a unique talent - director, actor and teacher. He was the funniest man I've ever met, a sharp observant of human follies. And he was a loyal comrade when it came to Palestine and other countries. ... All that can be done now is to mourn and remember him. May he rest in peace."

Sharif Elmusa

"Mahmoud was one of the greats. One thinks, of course, of his countless contributions not jus to AUC, but to the Egyptian cultural world over many decades. He has truly had an impact - in the theatre and cinema worlds and as a champion of free expression - in ways that very few of us ever do. He was also a great person to be around. ... Mahmoud was always full of laughter and boundless creativity and energy. ... I felt truly privileged to know him and to be able to call him my friend. He will be deeply missed." 

Robert Switzer
Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy

 

"He was a force of nature and fierce advocate for good things. He and I did not always see eye to eye, but there was no one at AUC for whom I had more respect or whose good opinion I valued more. He will be missed. May his memory be eternal."

John Baboukis
Professor of Music, Department of the Arts

"You clearly knew Mahmoud better than anyone, perhaps even better than he knew himself. The statements on Facebook indicated how much he meant to his students, friends and colleagues, but yours was the one that rang true and summed it up. I'm glad he "smoothly" and "in peace;" that is indeed a blessing. As is fitting for a dramatist, he went "dramatically." In 45 years in the academic world, I do not believe I have encountered anyone who could match is combination of wit and intelligence, no matter how painful it was for him to state the the truth and for others to hear it. We were all better off for having known him." 

Tim Sullivan
Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science
 

"Although we have not spent much time together since moving to the new campus, I remember well observing him in the Core Seminar when I first came to AUC in 1990. He had a way of captivating students with his sparkling and penetrating insights into the history and meaning of the texts we studied. He was, in short, an inspiration as a teacher. Of course, I also remember his work in theatre, and even though I didn't attend many plays, I recall how hard he worked to help students put on really fine performances of classics, as well as new plays. Once again, his commitment to excellence and belief in his students was an inspiration to me. In Mahmoud's death, AUC also has sustained a great loss. He was a genial colleague who kept us laughing, yet also believing in our mission as educators and scholars." 

Michael Reimer
Professor, Department of History

"We will deeply miss Mahmoud's larger-than-life personality and his wicked and sense of humor. Underneath his tough exterior was a truly kind soul and person of integrity." 

Helen Rizzo
Associate Professor of Sociology