Dr. Salah Eldin Elmaghraby

1927 - 2016

Dr. Salah Eldin Elmaghraby

October 21, 1927 - June 12, 2016

Raleigh

Dr. Salah Eldin Elmaghraby passed away at age 88 at his home in Raleigh, NC, after a long illness during which he was surrounded by family and caregivers. A resident of Raleigh since 1967, he was born in Egypt and received his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Cairo University. Anyone who met him was immediately struck by his inquisitive mind and strong aptitude for his studies. After graduation, he worked briefly in Cairo, accepted the prestigious post of teaching assistant at the faculty of Engineering at Cairo University, and then traveled to Europe in 1949 with the Egyptian Railroads Foreign Inspection office as their quality control inspector. While in Europe, witnessing the upheaval of the aftermath of WWII and Communism, he truly understood the value of education and the power of knowledge. This conclusion drew him to pursue graduate studies in the United Sates where he first attended Ohio State University and earned his Master's degree, completing both course work and his thesis in an astounding 1 year, and then continued onto Cornell University's PhD program in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation, he worked at Bell labs, was an Associate Professor at Yale University and later was recruited to start up and head the Operations Research department NCSU in 1967 later becoming a chaired University Professor at his beloved institution.

He was a pillar of every community he touched; his university, his professional societies, and the Egyptian community in Raleigh he helped found and grow, and his family. He sincerely loved to connect with others, was excited by the prospect of learning new ideas from different cultures and disciplines, shared of himself selflessly and worked tirelessly to accomplish any cause he deemed worthy. He gave his time and effort freely to others, and because this is rare, it was noted and appreciated. He was an avid reader, a passionate sailor and a lover and patron of the Arts. His open-mindedness and appreciation of all subjects and jobs that made him a true scholar and a wonderful father.

He leaves a legacy of a thriving Operations Research department at NCSU and a legion of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students around the world. Dr. Elmaghraby is survived by his wife, Amina, his two daughters: Wedad Jasmine and her husband Caglar Ozden and their three children, Nuray, Nedim and Leyla; and Karima Noor with her husband Ismail Radwan, and their 2 sons, Zackaria and Zain; and his sisters Zeinab and Amina. No one who met Dr. Elmaghraby did not know about his family and how important they were to him. Above all, his wife Amina was his constant partner in all of his endeavors.

Funeral procession will begin at Islamic Association of Raleigh, 808 Atwater St, 27607, on Monday June 13 at 9:30 am. The burial will be at Oakwood Cemetary at 10am. Condolences will be at the Islamic Association of Raleigh on Tuesday, June 14 from 4:30-6:30pm.