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History of the Druze in America 1997
1997 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
The American Druze Society Celebrates Its 51st Annual Convention
TOGETHER FOR FIFTY-ONE YEARS
July 1 through July 5, 1997 were the dates of the 51st Annual American Druze Society Convention at the San Francisco Airport Marriot Hotel in the beautiful city of San Francisco, California.. There were six fun-filled days from early morning to the wee hours of the following day, and sunny California welcomed the guests with open arms.
Registration
10:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M
Hotel Lobby
Tuesday morning from 10:00 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening, the Conventioneers registered at the Registration Desk in the Hotel Lobby at the San Francisco Airport Marriot Hotel in San Francisco, California. As the guests registered, many of them were overjoyed to meet with dear friends they had met in conventions past. Many of the guests had not seen some of their friends since they had left Lebanon, Syria, Jordan or wherever they came from in the United States. The National Office extends their sincere thank you to the Registration Committee for doing an overwhelming job so perfectly. The Northern California Chapter members worked diligently, along with the National Executive Director, Sahar Muakassa, throughout the Convention.
The Board of Directors of the National Office met under the Chairmanship of President Faouzi Mokarem. The National Office consists of :
President Faouzi Mokarem
Vice President Abdul-Magid Ghreizi
National Treasurer Sahar Muakasa
President-Elect Julie Makarem
Board Members: Yousef Abdul-Samad
Ziad Alameddine
Romana Alley
Ali Assaf
Hani Chtay
Ramsey Kaed Bey
Joe Sefa
Fouad Sleem
Convention Chairman 1997 Haitham Ballout, Esq.
Convention Chairpersons:
Convention Committee : Northern California Chapter
May Malaeb
Rabih Ballout
Saud Attrache
Nabil Aridi
Khaled Abi-Chahine
Hind Bou-Salman
Linda Ballout
Rabiha Abi-Chahine
Souhaila Elbanna
Naji Ghazal
Teo Elmasri
Basil Elbanna
Fouad Bou-Salman
Yola Ahmadieh
Nabil Naim
Faouzi Barouki
Mahmoud Elbanna
Aref Ahmadieh
Fahd Chaaban
Samir Boushakra
Houssam Mattar
Hikmat Ahmadieh
Raafat Aboulhosn
Hoda Boushakra
Hikmat El-Attrache
Chapter Presidents: Boston Fouad Ghannam
Connecticut Dr. Nabil Zahreddine
Central Texas Hani Chtay
Georgia Sleiman Hamadeh
Houston Camille Chehayeb
Illinois Adnan Korkamaz
Michigan Amine Musleh
North California Dr. Faouzi El-Barouki
North Carolina Rabih Chaaban
Richmond Nemat Shaban
Seattle Ramsey Salha
South Calfornia Justin Budare
South Florida Rifaat Alghawi
Tri-State Ziad Alameddine
Washington D.C. Fouad Sleem
Ohio Farris Alameh
Central Florida Issam Hatoum
Pennsylvania Walid Rafeh
C.O.R.A. Dr. Wahbah Sayegh, Chairman
C.O.C.A. Sami Merhi, Chairman
C.O.E. Dr. Abdallah Najjar, Chairman
Information Fouad Sleem
Finance
The ADS Officers, Board Members, Convention Committees, and Other Committees met throughout the day.
1997
The Druze Community of San Francisco, along with the Convention organizers, met to start off the Convention which was beginning that day. It is important to say here that this community worked together and coordinated every detail so well that the San Francisco Convention 1997 will be recorded in the ADS archives as one of the most organized and successful conventions there has been. The six nights of the Hospitality Suite, with each night hosted by a different family in the community, will recorded as Druze generosity at its fullest. The ADS National President, the Board of Directors, the Committee Chairpersons, and the National Office extend heartfelt thanks to each of the families for their generosity, tireless work, and the effort they made in hosting such a gala event each evening.
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