Former Head of American University of Beirut Passed Away

Deceased: 20 January 2009

Under: Obituary

David Stuart Dodge, the former head of American University of Beirut who was kidnapped by extremists during Lebanon's civil war, has died. He was 86.

His wife, Margaret Dodge, said he died of cancer Jan. 20 in Princeton, N.J.

In 1979, Dodge joined the faculty of the university, which had been founded by his great-grandfather Daniel Bliss in 1863.

While serving as its acting president, he was abducted on campus by pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim extremists in 1982 and held until his release in Iran a year later.

He was among more than 90 foreigners abducted during Lebanon's 15-year civil war. The American University was a frequent target of armed groups during the fighting. University President Malcolm Kerr was assassinated on campus in 1984. Three other faculty members - two Britons and an American -were kidnapped and killed in the mid-1980s.

The longest-held foreign captive was Terry Anderson, former chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press. Anderson was kidnapped on March 16, 1985, and released in December 1991.

Following his ordeal, Dodge moved to Princeton, where he worked briefly as recording secretary of Princeton University before retiring. He lived in Princeton until his death.

Dodge was born and raised in Beirut. He earned a master's degree from Princeton in Arabic and Middle East studies and served in the Army during World War II. He joined the Arabian American Oil Company, ARAMCO, after the war, and worked for its subsidiary, Trans-Arabian Pipeline Co., in Beirut from 1952 until 1977.

Margaret Dodge said her husband came from five generations of Princeton graduates, and there are buildings named for his family on campus.

He had a lifelong passion for hiking, climbing the Matterhorn and Mount Kilimanjaro, and trekking in the Himalayas on his 70th birthday.

Dodge was married to his first wife, Doris Dodge, for 49 years until she passed away in 2000. He married the former Margaret White in 2002.

In addition to his wife, Dodge is survived by a sister, four children, and four grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for Jan. 31 at the Princeton University Chapel in Princeton.