The staff at AUC Press mourn the passing of Joseph Mitri, formerly AUC bookstore manager. Joe, as he was affectionately known by colleagues and customers, passed away suddenly on January 14.
Joe joined AUC in February 1981 and retired in April 2016 after thirty-five years of loyal service. He is remembered for his committed hard work, infectious smile, and wonderful sense of humor.
“He loved AUC, he loved the sun, he loved having fun; it is very very sad that he has left us,” said Trevor Naylor, former sales and marketing director at AUC Press, who worked with Joe for nearly two decades. “Joe was one of those people you couldn’t help but like and his whole raison d’être was making other people happy. I think that, for many people, he was the face of the AUC Bookstores. People would come in and ask, “Is Joe around?,” just because they wanted to say hello and have a chat with him. He never had a bad word to say about anyone.”
Cherif Mourad Samaan, former AUC Press and Bookstores Operations Manager, said this about his late colleague and friend: “Joe’s death was a big shock and a huge loss. He was a loyal worker, friend, and brother to all his co-workers. He devoted himself tirelessly to maintaining the AUC Bookstore as one of the unique bookstores in Cairo. He never spared himself when it came to his commitments; he was always very generous. He was loving to his parents, his family, and his colleagues and friends. Nothing human was a source of indifference to him.”
AUC Press staff and authors alike were very fond of him. Said Max Rodenbeck, author of Cairo: The City Victorious: “Joe was an institution.”
Our thoughts are with Joe’s family at this difficult time.
