Annual Fuad Mansour Lectureship to Begin Aug. 26

Friday, August 23, 2002

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The life of the late Fuad Mansour, known as the "Father of Soccer" in Rochester, will be highlighted during the inaugural Fuad Mansour Lecture at Mayo Clinic.

The lecture is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Aug. 26 in Phillips Hall, Siebens Medical Education Building at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The lecture is free and open to staff, patients, visitors and the community.

The Fuad Mansour Lectureship will be an annual event. It celebrates the life of Mansour, a long-time Mayo Clinic employee who made major contributions to both Mayo Clinic and Rochester, particularly in multicultural and youth-related programs. The purpose of the lectureship is to promote peace, cultural diversity, youth-related education and mentorship activities.

The event is sponsored by the Mayo Center for Humanities in Medicine and was funded through gifts from Mansour's friends and family. Mansour died Jan. 26, 1997, after a battle with cancer.

Charles Abboud, M.D., a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and a good friend of Mansour's who also coaches high school soccer, will present the series' first talk "Fuad and Soccer ... Challenge and Response."

Dr. Abboud and Mansour grew up 25 miles from each other in the Middle East, but did not know each other until they became employed at Mayo Clinic. Both men shared a passion for soccer.

Mansour founded the Youth Soccer Association in Rochester and was instrumental in establishing soccer as a high school varsity sport in the city. He was John Marshall High School's first varsity coach in 1985. Mansour's contributions to soccer in southeastern Minnesota were acknowledged in 2001 when a 35-acre soccer complex in southeast Rochester was named after him.

Mansour was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in 1941. After graduating high school, Mansour came to the United States to attend Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics in 1964. After graduation, he accepted a teaching assistantship at Kansas State University.

He began his career at Mayo Clinic in 1965 as a laboratory technologist and Arabic translator and interpreter. He held supervisory positions and worked in several other laboratories as his career progressed at Mayo Clinic. Later, Mansour became an international patients project specialist in the Division of Medicine and Medical Specialties, a role that furthered his efforts to bring welcome and understanding to Mayo Clinic's international patients.

He was well-known for tirelessly promoting multicultural understanding and youth-related programs. He was founder and first chairman of the Rochester World Festival. He was active for 32 years in the Zumbro Lutheran Church, where he taught Sunday school and for many years provided the costumes for the nativity scene play. He led many tours of his homeland and frequently lectured about the Middle East. His knowledge and experience gave special insight into the political and religious strife of the region.

Mansour received many awards for his achievements — the Rochester Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Award, the Rochester Quarterback Club Hall of Fame Award, the City of Rochester Mayor's Medal of Honor and the Rochester Education Association's Human Relations Award.

Mr. Mansour was married to Sonja Tryggestad Mansour. They had three children — Julia, Michael and John.

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Contact:
John Murphy
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)
e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

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