Faris Adib Ammarin

Dr. Faris Ammarin (April 6, 1955 - December 1, 2012) was a passionately progressive thinker and feminist, as well as a deeply spiritual man, of Greek Orthodox faith. He valued loving above all else, and stood for social justice for all. His name, Faris, literally means "knight" in Arabic, and he was indeed a chivalrous knight for those he knew as well as those those he did not know. He was a passionate advocate and voice for those unable to speak for themselves. For Faris, all were created equal. He was on a first-name basis with heads of state in the US and abroad, as well as with the homeless near him. Kindness, generosity of heart and spirit, humility, grace and profound respect for others were offered whole-heartedly to any person who crossed his path. He had a gift for welcoming, listening, and honoring that left people certain they were valued and cherished. He was a man with an extraordinary capacity for loving his fellows, personally and intimately, while being an advocate for them in the world at large.

Faris Adib Ammarin was born in Amman Jordan to Alice Issa Ammari and Adib Hanna Ammarin. Alice's father, Issa Awad Ammari, was a member of the Jordanian Parliament, and initiated and fought to secure the first labor laws in Jordan. Until Adib Ammarin's untimely death at age 42, when Faris was only 14, his father was Administrative Manager and Private Secretary for King Hussein of Jordan. Upon Adib Ammarin's death, King Hussein declared himself Faris' godfather, and sent Faris to England for high school, and then to USC where following his masters in Public Administration, he received a Doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning. At USC he met and later married Theresa A. Oldknow, daughter of William H. Oldknow II, who until his passing in 2011, sustained a mutually devoted father-son relationship with Faris.

While consulting and conducting research as well as cost-benefit analyses for a subsidiary of Teledyne National and International Corporations (in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon and in California), Dr. Ammarin spearheaded the establishment of a research center in Amman, Jordan for environmental protection under Her Majesty Queen Nour Al-Houssein. Dr. Ammarin later served as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Advisor for the Jordanian Mission to the United Nations, representing Jordan on the General Assembly Economic and Environment Committee, the Economic and Social Counsel (ECOSOC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), the World Bank, the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the Group of 77. He was a member of the working committee that lead to the development of the Comission on Sustainable Development, and contributed significantly to the preparation and followup of major UN conferences, including but not limited to: The Earth Summit in Brazil , The Women's Conference in Beijing, Habitat I and II in Turkey, Population and Development in Cairo, as well as Social Development in Copenhagen. Throughout the years he has served numerous organizations in countless leadership positions including the SOS International Children's Organization, the World Affairs Council, the World Federalists Organization, the Jordanian-American Association Board, the Board of World Information Transfer, and the Board of Associates for Pepperdine University in Malibu California. In 2000, Dr. Ammarin presented a paper at President Clinton's Symposium on Israel-Middle East Economic Relations entitled "Peace and the Middle East: Expectations and Realities." He wrote and presented numerous articles on a wide variety of topics, chiefly centered around middle eastern politics and the environment.

Faris was a fiercely devoted father, partner and friend, and is especially mourned by his two children, Asa Adib Ammarin, and Alyssa Constantina Ammarin, his beloved Ria Severance and his adopted son Hadi Bou Ayach, his mother Alice, his brother Mazen, his two sisters Nahla and Maha, Theresa A. Oldknow, as well as his global community of cherished extended family and friends. The shining light that is Faris, lives in his children and in the love he shared with us all.

The viewing will be held at Glendale Forest Lawn's Mortuary Building, Wednesday, December 5, 2012, 5-9 pm. Services will be held Friday, December 7, 2012, at 10 am at Saint Sofia's Chapel of St. Constantine (built by Bill Oldknow) located at 1324 S. Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90006. In lieu of flowers, please make gifts of remembrance to UNICEF. Los Angeles Times and Pasadena Star News.

Please forward, print out and share with all who knew and loved him. Faris' standard phrase: "You are always welcome!"