To my great father, the one who inspired me, believed in me, and above all, loved me

At the age of 16, my late father got valuable advice from someone in his neighbourhood. If you want to succeed in your life, learn to ride a bike so you can work with the British mail delivery, or learn English so you can have a chance to work with the British army as a clerk.

At that time, Jordan was still under British control and Amman airport was a British army camp. The whole area of Marka and its surroundings were living on the British leftovers.

Although he got his primary education at the Mahatta Mosque as Kottab education under the supervision of a Sheikh (Islamic clerk), my father preferred to learn English as the wages of a clerk might have been more than a mail boy. However, he dedicated himself to that and joined the?newly-formed Jordanian army in 1956 as a student. He was found to be very bright and was sent to get his education at Rolls Royce academy- Derby, UK. The year was 1958 and he was one of the early people to get his education there. He was at the top of his class in all his exams and managed to become one of the most important assets of the Royal Jordanian Airforce.

Years passed and he returned to the Jordanian Airforce a few years later. He spent few years as a flight mechanic for various aircraft. In the 1970s he was promoted to a flight engineer flying the C-130 aircraft. In 1981, he joined Royal Jordanian Airlines as a flight engineer. He was one of the early people to fly the Tristar L1011. He was promoted to instructor a few years later and?flew the B-707 cargo aircraft up to his retirement in the mid-1990s.

At that time, I was a kid. I remember my late father when he used to study and prepare for his duties. The scene of my father sitting in the living room, reading his large and heavy books was common. I still remember him reading the checklist loudly, then closing both eyes to imagine he is inside the cockpit working with his instruments. Words and phrases such as nose down, landing gear, fuel pump, flaps and ailerons were very common in our daily life.

Then he got another idea. Why don't I record the most important parts of the checklist and procedures on cassettes and play them while driving my car to the airport. I am pretty sure I can find some of these tapes in his stuff now, if I look carefully.

One day I met someone at Dubai airport, back then I was a part-time lecturer at Emirates Aviation College. He saw my name tag and asked me about him, then he literally said: “Your father is the most decent man I have ever met”.

The love of education and continuous learning was in his blood, and still flowing in mine and my siblings. My father was keen to educate himself and his children. He was committed to this purpose as he was truly convinced that education is the only way for a better life and a brighter future. ?He used to say: I come from a poor family, my community and surroundings were full of ignorance and illiteracy, only god, followed by the love of education made me what I am now.

My father achievements may seem modest by any standard, he was just a man who learned and mastered something he loves, and brought nine people into this world. However, his most significant legacy is his children being all educated.

My father passed away a few days ago, he left this life leaving us behind, two engineers, one pilot, one Judge, a teacher, two successful business owners, a career counsellor, and me, the youngest of the nine.

I still remember my father’s tears when I got my degrees. He was proud of me and proud of himself as well. He told me on many occasions that he is satisfied enough with his name being the second name in all my diplomas. He was there for me from the beginning of my life to the end of his life. A few months ago, he asked for my PhD. Certificate, and I was surprised after he passed away that he used it as a background screen for his desktop.

May God bless your soul my dearest father. I am sure you are in a better place right now. A place where you get rewarded for all the good you did throughout your life. And as said before by a stranger I met by chance, you are indeed the most decent man I have ever met.

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