DEARBORN — The local community suffered a great loss on Tuesday, October 1, with the passing of Saadallah Goutimy, 77, a renowned professor and scholar, who helped bring the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) to prominence in its early days. 

Goutimy

Goutimy, who was born in Lebanon, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1959, had taught at Macomb Community College for 32 years, after receiving an education at the University of Detroit. As a professor in Political Science and American Government, he was described as a humble leader, who loved to educate and assist those around him.

“He was very caring and giving, he was the type of person that would help everybody,” says his daughter Nada Goutimy. “He was always very involved in the community, teaching people how to read and write, and helping them when they needed to open up a business or get a loan. He was definitely a leader, and never a follower.”

Goutimy’s outreach eventually expanded to assisting in the formation of the LAHC, founded in 1982, by Ali Jawad. The organization has since served a prominent role in the community, assisting thousands of local students with scholarships. Jawad recalls Goutimy as a mentor, who helped him put his foot through the door.

“When we founded the club, we were all in our mid-20s, and we looked up to him as a father figure,” Jawad says. “Doctor Saadallah helped us all, and gave us a lot of good advice. He was our mentor, and his imput was felt from all over the community, because of the success of the Lebanese Heritage Club.”

Goutimy, whose death was caused from a heart attack, was burried at Knollwood Memorial Park in Canton, on  Thursday, October 3. A memorial service will be held for him on Saturday, October 12, at 4 p.m., at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge in Dearborn. He is survived by his wife, Janette, two daughters Nada and Hala, and son Kenneth.