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Malcolm H. Kerr

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Educator

The Resume

    (October 8, 1931-January 18, 1984)
    Born in Beirut, Lebanon
    Professor of Middle Eastern studies
    President of the American University of Beirut (1982-1984)
    Previously had taught at the University of California at Los Angeles from 1962 to 1982
    Published ‘Lebanon in the Last Years of Feudalism 1840-1868,’ ‘The Arab Cold War. Gamel Abd al-Nasr and his Rivals,’ ‘Islamic Reform. The political and legal theories of Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Ridā,’ and ‘The Elusive Peace in the Middle East’
    Shot and killed by two unidentified gunmen outside his university office at the age of 52 (Jan. 18, 1984)
    Father of Golden State Warriors head coach and former basketball player Steve Kerr

Why he might be annoying:

    His wife admitted that Steve inherited his father's competitive nature.
    Attention surrounding his untimely death only came as a result of his son's phenomenal success as the coach of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
    He used his connections in academia and pulled strings to get his son a scholarship to Arizona (at the time, few schools if any were interested in him).
    He dismissed his bodyguard when he took the position in Beirut, but maintained his chauffeur.
    One of his colleagues claimed: 'Since he was a little boy, all Malcolm ever really wanted was to be president of [American University of Beirut]' (lofty ambition).

Why he might not be annoying:

    His parents settled in Beirut after working with the Near East Relief during the Armenian Genocide, rescuing women and orphans in Aleppo.
    An award offered by the Middle East Studies Association was named in his honor.
    He secured a Ford Foundation grant to fund a joint project with the Von Grunebaum Center at UCLA and the Strategic Studies of the Al-Ahram Foundation in Egypt.
    His and his family's travels to and from Lebanon were interrupted by the country's Civil War, and later the Israeli-Lebanon War, which frequently resulted in his having to relocated to parts of North Africa and Europe.
    He took the American University position despite knowing that his predecessor had been taken hostage and killed by Iranian gunmen.
    While it remains unclear as to who was responsible for the shooting, signs point to the culprits being Hezbollah members acting on orders from the Iranian underground movement.
    In the years following his death, rival team fans would sometimes chant 'PLO! PLO! Where’s your dad?' and 'You're dad's history' to throw Kerr off his game.
    Steve Kerr paid tribute to him in a 2004 speech saying: 'My parents literally showed me a world that existed beyond typical American culture. They gave me an education in understanding people, in being compassionate and respectful.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 45 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying