Jamey Haddad with Paul McCartney
group founded the Saint Elias Church (Byzantine
returned from Europe after the war he needed to work
Catholic), initially serving all Arabic-speaking
for his family, which was the end of his athletic
Cleveland Christians.
career. In the 1960’s my father, James G. Haddad,
My father James G. Haddad was born in
became president of one of the earliest organizations,
Cleveland 7/6/1923 and distinguished himself as an
dating from the 1930s, the Aitaneet Brotherhood
athlete at East High. In 1940 he became one of 11
Association. Around that time my mother Geraldine
players in Ohio to become a Press Star, which was the
(Thomas) Haddad also became the president of the
highest award given to a high school football player at
Lebanese-Syrian Junior Women’s League.
the time. With the promise of a full ride from over a
dozen colleges bidding, my father did what most
Was traditional Lebanese culture a big part of
young men did, enlisting in the army when the USA
your life when you were growing up?
entered WW2. During the war in Europe, my father’s
father, George Haddad, passed and when my dad