Youssef Lahoud

Youssef was born in Amchit, in 1933. He is the eldest son of Poet Abdallah Youssef Lahoud and Yousra Wadih Lahoud. He grew up with his sister Iris, in a home where culture, literature, and creative thinking, were food for spirit.

Youssef was   extremely competent on the professional level, he was also a keen activist, on the personal and political levels. He was renowned for his experience and commitment. Youssef had great communication skills, he was open to different Lebanese political parties. He was always present at cultural seminars, he was knowledgeable in different areas, and he accepted different opinions, even when they weren't his own.

87-year old Youssef was athletic, but also an avid reader. He was also extremely organized.

Youssef was at the head of the Abdallah Lahoud foundation that was established by the family in cooperation with the friends of Abdallah Lahoud in December 2013, to commemorate his late father's work, as well as the memory of his grandfather the renowned lawyer and author Youssef Lahoud. The association offered scholarships and awards to outstanding youth, especially in the areas of creative thinking, entrepreneurship, and investment.

Youssef was the General director for Middle East Airlines. He worked at the company between 1960 and 1998, and served it with utmost commitment. He had an important role, along with the successive heads of the board of directors, in taking it internationally during the prosperous years, and surviving during the Lebanese war. Even after his retirement, he was still following the company's development.

On August 4, Youssef was home in Achrafieh with the Ethiopian housekeepers, when the earthquake-like explosion happened. He died succumbing to his wounds…